Garbine Muguruza claimed a 6-4 7-6 7-5 win over Johanna Konta early on Friday to reach the Australian Open third round and etch in her name into the record books as the winner of the latest starting match in the tournaments history.
With a log-jam in scheduling caused by two mens five-setters earlier on Thursday, 18th seed Muguruza and Briton Konta were kept from playing their first point until 12:30 a.m. local time in front of a smattering of hardy fans at Margaret Court Arena.
At the end of a high-quality duel, former Wimbledon champion Muguruza pounced on Kontas serve at 6-5 in the deciding set, grabbing a match point with a backhand winner before forcing a forehand error to seal the win.
