Angelique Kerber survives scare to reach Oz Open second round

Defending champion Angelique Kerber on Monday survived a scare against Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko to reach the second round of the Australian Open at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

The world number one, who was starting the defence of a Grand Slam title for the first time, initially struggled with her serve and the accuracy of her ground strokes before registering a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over her Ukrainian opponent Tsurenko in a thrilling opening-round contest.

Reflecting on her match, Kerber said that although the clash was really tough, she was happy to bounce back from a set down and come out victorious.

"The first round is always tough. I'm just trying to enjoy it and I'm so happy to be in the second round. I'm really happy to be back in Melbourne because everything started for me here in 2016," Sport24 quoted Kerber as saying.

Kerber, who is bidding to be the first woman to defend her Australian title since Victoria Azarenka in 2013, stunned American tennis star and former world number one Serena Williams in the final last year to clinch her maiden title at Melbourne Park.