Australian Open: Katie Boulter edges Rebecca Marino in tense ...

British No. 1 Katie Boulter fought her way past Canada's Rebecca Marino in her Australian Open first-round match on Tuesday, winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

Her victory means that six British players have advanced through to the second second round of the Australian Open, the highest number for the tournament in the Open era.

The Brit broke Marino twice on her way to taking the opening set, but she was broken on her first service game of the following set.

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It set up a tense final hour that saw both players hold serve throughout until the final game of the match, in which Boulter was denied a match point by Marino, only to win the following two points and a place in the next round.

"That was way too stressful for me. I would have way preferred an easier match but I mean Marino came out firing today," Boulter said.

Boulter is hoping to make the deepest run of her career at the Grand Slam event in Melbourne where she has previously only reached the second round.

She is also aiming to build on the most successful year of her career to date after she won WTA titles in Nottingham and San Diego, as well as reaching the final in Hong Kong.

She will face the winner of Russia's Veronika Kudermetova and Australia's Olivia Gadecki in the next round.

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