Samantha Stosur has launched her Sydney International campaign with a spirited three-set win over US Open finalist Roberta Vinci.
In a much-needed Australian Open confidence booster, Stosur rallied from a set and a service break down to defeat the higher-ranked Italian 4-6 7-5 7-5 in a two-hour, 32-minute rollercoaster ride on Monday
Stosur's reward is a second-round shot at Daniela Hantuchova, the veteran Slovak who replaced injured second seed Simona Halep in the bottom slot of the draw.
Stosur had won only three matches in Sydney since losing the 2005 final to Alicia Molik, but now has a big opportunity to make another deep run following a string of big-name withdrawals and early exits.
Australia's one-time US Open champion is the best-credentialled player in a bottom half of the draw, which has been blown open by the departures of Radwanska, sixth seed Timea Bacsinszky and Hopman Cup winner Daria Gavrilova.
In-form German Angelique Kerber also escaped the carnage but Spanish seventh seed Carla Suarez Navarro joined the seeded casualty list on Monday with a 6-3 6-3 loss to Italian Sara Errani.
Kerber, the only member of the women's world top 10 not to have suffered a pre-Open setback over the past week, safely progressed to the second round with a 4-6 6-0 6-3 win over Ukraine's Elina Svitolina.
With on-court temperatures nudging 40 degrees mid-afternoon at Olympic Park, the WTA's extreme heat policy was applied, allowing Kerber and Svitolina to take a 10-minute break before the third and deciding set.
The brutal conditions eased somewhat for Stosur's match but the local hope still struggled to find her rhythm, mixing more than 50 unforced errors with 48 winners.
But with her right wrist heavily strapped, Stosur held her nerve to advance to the second round and dispel any lingering fitness doubts ahead of the season's first major starting next Monday at Melbourne Park.
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