Laura Robson makes hard work of ending losing streak but progresses at Sony Open in thunderstorm in Miami

For all the rich promise of British women’s tennis, Heather Watson and Laura
Robson have been going through a rocky patch of late. So there was a sense
of relief on Wednesday when Robson managed to close out a much-needed win at
the Sony Open, thus ending a run of three successive first-round defeats.

Storming: Laura Robson in action in the Sony Open on WednesdayPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

The final stages of an ugly but intensely competitive match were fought out in near-darkness as thunder echoed around Miami’s Crandon Park. Robson required five match points to finally account for Camila Giorgi of Italy by a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 scoreline.

“When you can hear the thunder and these huge raindrops are starting to fall you know you don’t have long to go,” Robson said afterwards.

“So I was trying to go for more on my second serve and not taking as long in between points. I was very lucky to finish when I did because 30 seconds later it started pouring.”

Robson started the match having regained her status as the highest-ranked teenager in the world, after 16th seed Sloane Stephens turned 20 on Wednesday.

Giorgi is another young talent, at 21 years old and No 85 in the world, but she has been restricted by a shoulder injury and this was only her second match of 2013. Robson relied heavily on cheap points from her serve, but Giorgi ripped her return hard, and in some games she put together a series of unstoppable shots.