Boulter seals British history with six players into round two

Six British players have won their first-round matches at the Australian Open for the first time in history after Katie Boulter held her nerve in the tense final stages of a difficult contest against Rebecca Marino of Canada to secure a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win.

- Tumaini Carayol

"It's awesome to have some positivity coming out around British tennis," said Boulter. "It's been coming for a long time. It's just the beginning. I really think these girls and guys have been working so hard, and everyone deserves a bit of credit. Obviously it's a great start for everyone, and let's hope we can keep that going."

Boulter, the British No 1 and 22nd seed, battled past one of the biggest servers in the women's game. Marino breezed through her service games and eviscerated the ball off both wings in the final two sets.

Despite her growing frustration and a lack of rhythm, Boulter held on to her serve throughout the third set before putting Marino under immense pressure in her final service game.