Red-hot Johanna Konta has overcome plucky Belgian Kirsten Flipkens and a handful of minor distractions to continue her love affair with the Australian Open.
The British star began her 2017 campaign by claiming the Sydney International title in the city of her birth last week without dropping a single set.
Now ranked a career-high No.9, Konta continued to ride the wave of momentum at Melbourne Park on Tuesday by downing Flipkens 7-5 6-2 in the opening round.
The rising temperature on a day forecast to top 35 degrees wasn't a problem for Konta, although she was briefly troubled by a moth she feared had flown up her skirt.
A badly mistimed smash that ended with the ball hitting her on the foot was another moment she hopes won't be repeated.
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But it was Flipkens' ability to regularly chase down seemingly hopeless causes which provided the biggest obstacle for Konta.
"She made it difficult for me," said Konta of the 31-year-old Belgian, who reached the semis at Wimbledon and the fourth round at Melbourne Park in her breakthrough season of 2013.
"She has got this great ability at really frustrating her opponents with some of the balls she's able to hit.
"She's very creative in that way, so I was really happy I was able to work myself into the match and through it, to come through."
The 25-year-old Konta is on a six-match winning streak taking in the Sydney International and the first major of the year.
"I'm always aware how you do the week before is no reflection of how you're going to do the week after," she said.
"I really try to take each match on its own merit, and I'm very happy with the level I was able to produce last week and the number of matches and how I was able to come through each one.
But this tournament is a new challenge, and it comes with completely different obstacles."
Konta shot to prominence on her main-draw debut in Melbourne last year, when she made it all the way to the semis before falling to eventual champion Angelique Kerber.
Her second-round opponent is Japan's Naomi Osaka, who edged past Thai wildcard Luksika Kumkhum 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 7-5 on Tuesday.
