Australian Open 2013: Heather Watson cuts loose to beat the Monday blues and Romanian Alexandra Cadantu Admittedly, she had been forced to endure an interminable wait as the previous match on Court 13, between Alize Cornet and Marina Erakovic, developed into a 3½-hour chokefest. As Watson explained later: "I was warming up for two hours." But the real issue is more likely to have been psychological than physical. "I asked the doctor if there was anything I could take, what should I be doing," Watson said, on the subject of her medical time-out. Because I was feeling quite faint. I didn't have any energy today. It started with the warm-up: I just wasn't sharp. There was nothing I could really do. She actually had two time-outs right after mine, so during that time I just ate two bananas, some energy gels, and drunk loads. I think having that little sit-down, I got a little recharged and motivated. While Watson was clunking a series of forehands into the net during the early part of the match, it was easy to remember "Miserable Monday" from last year's Australian Open, when five British singles players were eliminated in the opening round. Watson was drawn out in the far corner of Melbourne Park, the same area where most of the carnage took place in 2012, and where the noisy progress of trams has come to feel like a death rattle for British hopes. Though she did at least have the benefit of a supportive and partisan crowd full of expats and tourists, who drummed their feet on the stands whenever she won an important point. Watson's reward for her 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 success will be another very winnable match against Ksenia Pervak, the world No 82 from Ukraine. Although it should be said that the left-handed Pervak - a former junior champion here at Melbourne Park - is in good touch this season, having eliminated former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki from the Brisbane International a couple of weeks ago. She is another speedy mover around the court, but she also possesses a rather stronger arsenal of attacking strokes than Cadantu could offer on Monday. As for the rest of the women's draw, the opening matches on the two big courts were both over in the blink of an eye. Maria Sharapova whitewashed fellow Russian Olga Puchkova 6-0, 6-0, while Venus Williams only dropped a game against Galina Voskoboeva. There was more local interest in the fortunes of home favourite Sam Stosur, who had lost her previous five matches on Australian soil. Stosur was drawn against Kai-Chen Chang, of Taiwan, the world No 86, and she came through a few jitters in the first set before closing out a 7-6, 6-3 win. "I feel very happy, a little bit relieved, because it's just nice to get through that first round finally," said the ninth seed. From here hopefully I can loosen up a little bit and keep playing better and better.