Brisbane International- Murray, Kyrgios and Others That Got Through

Published 01/01/2019, 10:26 AM EST

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Andy Murray posted a selfie, with a load of alcohol calling 2018 a “sh*t year”, on the new year’s eve. His 2019 campaign, has started off to a happy start, with the Brit getting a much required 6-3, 6-4 victory against the home favorite James Duckworth in his first round at the Brisbane International.

“I thought I did quite well”, said Murray. “I think maybe both of us at the beginning of the match were a bit nervous, a few errors from the back of the court from both of us”, added the Brit. “But I think as the match went on, the rallies were a bit more entertaining,” Murray said in his post match on-court interview. “I think for the first match of the new year after quite a long break, it was alright”, he said.

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However, the road only gets tougher for Murray as he faces a stern test in the form of No.4 seed Daniil Medvedev. The pair will face off against each other for the first time in their careers in the second round of the Brisbane International.

Nick Kyrgios brushed away his spider bite concerns with a clinical victory over last year’s finalist Ryan Harrison, firing down 45 aces in his first match. He will meet his good friend, Jeremy Chardy, in his next match. Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov faces off against US Open quarter-finalist John Millman in his second match.

Meanwhile in the women’s section, Naomi Osaka, got through her first match of the season in a routine straight sets victory 6-3, 6-2, over Australian qualifier Aiava. However, former grand slam champion Petra Kvitova had it tough against Danielle Collins in her opening round match, and had to dig deep to get through. She will face Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit next.

Elina Svitolina, who has had an impressive 2nd half of 2018, is the player to beat in the women’s draw. The world number four has made it clear that she is serious about winning titles.“My goals are always to win a Grand Slam, to become No.1,” Svitolina said during her press conference. “They are life-time goals, and I try to stay really focused each tournament, to win as many titles as I can. This is my ultimate goal each year, but I think the most important for me is to be healthy.” Svitolina will face last year’s finalist Aliaksandra Sasnovich, in her next match.

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