Naomi Broady has suffered a three-set defeat at the hands of Daria Gavrilova in the first round of the Australian Open.
The British number three matched the 22nd seed throughout their evening clash in Melbourne but she fell to a 3-6 6-4 7-5 scoreline at the hands of the Australian representative.
Broady - making her first appearance in the main draw - fell an early break behind but she responded in excellent fashion, sending down five aces and securing two breaks of her own to open up a set advantage.
However, a slow start to the second gave Gavrilova the momentum and although Broady struck back, she dropped serve in the 10th game of the set to see the contest move to a decider.
Broady sent down 11 aces in a show of defiance after slipping behind in a couple of service games, but she failed to take a game point in the 12th game and Gavrilova fought back to complete victory in one hour and 56 minutes.
Darren Plant
