China' s Han Xinyun has made an early exit at the Australian Open on Tuesday after going down in straight sets to American Irina Falconi.
What seemed like an even match up on paper was anything but on court, after Falconi dominated the first set with ease 6-1, only to let Han back into the match in the second as both players traded services breaks.
"At the beginning I was not (playing) so good, too many errors. (In the) second set I pushed a little bit more, played more winners, " Han told reporters in the post-match press conference.
She also conceded that her opponent played a strong match.
"She is a special player, she pushed me to the baseline in the match. I gradually got back to my level in the second set, played some great tennis, but I also made too many unforced errors."
Han added that despite having a lot of chances to break her opponent, she was not able to make use of them.
Falconi' s grand slam experience proved pivotal in the second set as she got the final break at 6-5, allowing her to remain composed enough to eventually win the match.
"I know (Han) is a tough, tough girl. She definitely came out firing in the second set so I just had to stay composed and really try and really focus on what I had to do on my side of the court," Falconi told Xinhua, adding that she "wanted to be out of the court as soon as I possibly could" due to the heat in Melbourne.
Falconi will take on compatriot Nicole Gibbs, who defeated 25th seed Timea Babos 7-6 (3), 6-4 for a round two berth.
"It's just another American getting to the third round which is great for American Tennis," Falconi said, adding it's a tight knit group on tour.
"When there's so many of us, we're all supporting each other," she said.
