Australian Open 2014: Laura Robson is first player to crash out as she loses in straight sets to Kirsten Flipkens Some of the spectators had clearly attended England's one-day international at the adjacent Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, judging by the number of Barmy Army T-shirts on show. They were probably hoping for some encouragement here but Robson has not completed a singles match since October and her rustiness was all too obvious. As for Flipkens, she lacks power but has terrific hands and can retrieve balls from the most unpromising positions, as she proved on her run to the Wimbledon semi-final last summer. This match-up suited her perfectly, because she could simply rely on her consistency and wait for Robson to commit one of her regular wild errors. Robson has started working with a new coaching team over the winter, in Nick Saviano and Jesse Witten, but for all her obvious talent she still moves sluggishly and is worryingly prone to illness and injury. Her assault on the Asian swing last autumn was hampered by respiratory problems and over the last few weeks she has suffered from tendinitis in her left wrist. It is hard for her to build up momentum and confidence when she is rarely able to train for a sustained period of time.