Heather Watson has defeated qualifier Marina Erakovic in straight sets to book her place in the second round of the Hong Kong Tennis Open.
The British number two, who was recently forced to retire from the Wuhan Open due to dizziness, came through unscathed 7-5 7-6(9) in East Asia.
Despite powering through in straight sets it was a real battle at times for Watson, with a number of games swinging one way and another in the opening set of the contest.
It was the Brit who came out on top in the opener, breaking her opponent twice and taking her second set point to grab a foothold in the first-round match.
Erakovic took a 4-1 lead in the second set but was soon pegged back to 4-4, yet the New Zealand pro had a chance to redeem herself when edging 40-0 ahead in the 12th game which again she failed to make the most of.
Watson regrouped and took the set to a tie-break, eventually coming out on top 11-9 after surviving two set points to win a real thriller.
Daniel Lewis
