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Free-moving Garcia shows no sign of back injury

Melbourne - Tenacious eighth-seed Caroline Garcia overcame first round wobbles to fight her way into the Australian Open second round on Tuesday, showing no signs of her problem back. 

The Frenchwoman, who had a breakout year in 2017, winning two titles and qualifying for the WTA Finals, ground past Germany's Carina Witthoeft 7-5, 6-3. 

She hit 33 winners but also made 29 unforced errors on her way to victory. 

Her nerves were clearly jangling in the second set. She was 5-0 up but gave away three games before wrapping up the match. 

It was a workmanlike display by Garcia, who was serving and moving freely despite retiring in tears from the lead-up Brisbane International with a back injury. 

"It was very nice to compete and finally start my 2018 season. It was a very important match for me," she said. 

"I was not happy with my first set but I kept fighting and founds some solutions. The second set was a little bit easier." 

She has never gone beyond the third round at Melbourne Park with her next assignment against either Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic or Japan's Karumi Nara.

Collated results from the Australian Open on Tuesday:

Men's singles

1st round

Jiri Vesely (CZE) bt Vaclav Safranek (CZE) 6-4, 6-3, 6-3

Adrian Mannarino (FRA x26) bt Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Roberto Bautista (ESP x20) 6-1, 7-5, 7-5

Maximilian Marterer (GER) bt Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER) 6-0, 6-3, 6-4

Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Taro Daniel (JPN) 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/0), 6-4, 6-1

Sam Querrey (USA x13) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Radu Albot (MDA) 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5

Nicolas Kicker (ARG) bt Jordan Thompson (AUS) 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3

Lukas Lacko (SVK) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x22) 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)

Stan Wawrinka (SUI x9) bt Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/2)

Albert Ramos (ESP x21) bt Jared Donaldson (USA) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4

Peter Gojowczyk (GER) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 6-3, 6-3, 6-1

Alexander Zverev (GER x4) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5

David Goffin (BEL x7) bt Matthias Bachinger (GER) 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) bt Florian Mayer (GER) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (6/8), 7-5

Novak Djokovic (SRB x14) bt Donald Young (USA) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4

Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Kwon Soon-woo (KOR) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4

Denis Kudla (USA) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2

Tennys Sandgren (USA) bt Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2

Fabio Fognini (ITA x25) bt Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 6-4, 6-4, 7-5

Gael Monfils (FRA) bt Jaume Munar (ESP) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4

Tim Smyczek (USA) bt Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 6-3, 6-7 (14/16), 6-3, 6-3

Chung Hyeon (KOR) bt Mischa Zverev (GER x32) 6-2, 4-1 ret

Richard Gasquet (FRA x29) bt Blaz Kavcic (SLO) 6-1, 6-4, 7-5

Daniil Medvedev (RUS) bt Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (10/8), 6-4

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) bt Benoit Paire (FRA) 6-0, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-4

Karen Khachanov (RUS) bt Peter Polansky (CAN) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4

Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Aljaz Bedene (GBR) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3

Tomas Berdych (CZE x19) bt Alex de Minaur (AUS) 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1

Dominic Thiem (AUT x5) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

Juan Martin Del Potro (ARGx12) bt Frances Tiafoe (USA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3

Women's singles

1st round

Johanna Konta (GBR x9) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-3, 6-1

Bernarda Pera (USA) bt Anna Blinkova (RUS) 6-2, 6-2

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE x20) bt Kristie Ahn (USA) 6-1, 7-5

Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) bt Richel Hogenkamp (NED) 6-1, 6-2

Lucie Safarova (CZE x29) bt Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) 7-5, 6-3

Karolina Pliskova (CZE x6) bt Veronica Cepede (PAR) 6-3, 6-4

Angelique Kerber (GER x21) bt Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER) 6-0, 6-4

Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) bt Kurumi Nara (JPN) 7-5, 6-4

Caroline Garcia (FRA x8) bt Carina Witthoeft (GER) 7-5, 6-3

Elena Vesnina (RUS x16) bt Ons Jabeur (TUN) 6-3, 6-4

Maria Sharapova (RUS) bt Tatjana Malek (GER) 6-1, 6-4

Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) bt Christina McHale (USA) 6-3, 6-2

Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) bt Oceane Dodin (FRA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)

Sorana Cirstea (ROM) bt Zarina Diyas (KAZ) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3

Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) bt Lizette Cabrera (AUS) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4

Donna Vekic (CRO) bt Nao Hibino (JPN) 7-5, 6-3

Madison Keys (USA x17) bt Qiang Wang (CHN) 6-1, 7-5

Simona Halep (ROM x1) bt Destanee Aiava (AUS) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1

Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO x28) bt Shelby Rogers (USA) 7-6 (8/6), 5-7, 6-2

Anastasija Sevastova (LAT x14) bt Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Naomi Osaka (JPN) bt Kristina Kucova (SVK) 7-5, 6-2

Lesya Tsurenko (UKR) bt Natalia Vikhlyantseva (RUS) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Anna Kalinskaya (RUS) 6-4, 6-3

Lauren Davis (USA) bt Jana Cepelova (SVK) 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-1

Andrea Petkovic (GER) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x27) 6-3, 4-6, 10-8

Hsieh Su-wei (TPE) bt Zhu Lin (CHN) 0-6, 6-0, 8-6

Ana Bogdan (ROM) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA x11) 6-3, 6-2

Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3) bt Jessika Ponchet (FRA) 6-4, 6-3

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x26) bt Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2

Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 7-5, 7-6 (8/6)

Ashleigh Barty (AUS x18) bt Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-4

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