Sam Stosur has ground out a tough first round win at the Brisbane International to kick start her preparations for the Australian open.
Stosur advanced to the second round with a three set win over Slovakian Jana Cepelova.
The former US Open champion took out the first set, before suffering a typical lapse in the second set.
However, the Aussie regrouped, coming back from a break down early in the third set, to record a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win.