Home favourite Samantha Stosur desperate for Australian Open success

Samantha Stosur has revealed that she is desperate to achieve success at the Australian Open after starting her campaign with a comfortable victory.

A 6-4 6-1 triumph over Monica Niculescu ensured that the 20th seed did not join the list of high-profile players to exit the tournament at the first stage, and the 30-year-old admits that she feels the pressure to put together a strong challenge in front of her fellow Australians.

"I would love to do well here. I guess having the results I've had in other Slams I proved to myself that I can go deep in these tournaments and play well and beat a lot of the best players in the world. So I think that's obviously a good thing to know," Stosur, who won the US Open in 2011, told reporters.

"It doesn't necessarily help me much today when I go out and play my first round. But, look, the possibilities are there. Obviously I want to try and do as best I can here in Australia. If I can get results like that here like I have overseas, then, yeah, I would walk away leaving Melbourne pretty happy."

Stosur has never been past the fourth round at the Australian Open.