There was disappointment for Israel’s three entrants who tumbled out in the first round at the Australian Open.

Shahar Peer (75) went down 6-4, 6-1 against Romanian Monica Niculescu (64). The Israeli no. 1 is still struggling for form following her return from a foot injury.

"I made a lot of mistakes, especially in the second set," said Peer. "I missed a lot of easy shots which I was putting them into the net. However, it's not easy to miss two and a half months - you miss the environment of playing in a game and a lot of it is in the mind.

"But as long as I am able to play to my maximum and enjoy it, then I’ll continue playing."

Julia Glushko (90) went down in three sets, 5-7, 6-3, 1-6, to 26th seed Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic.

Glushko said: "I think I need to work on the mental side of the game - one moment of weakness against the likes of Safarova and she can take the game from you.

"I need to work on the consistency of my game so I can keep the same standard throughout the match."

In the Men’s event, Dudi Sela (68) lost a five-set marathon that lasted nearly four hours against Jarkko Nieminen (39th).

Sela commented: "I will carry on working hard and hope to have a good year.

"I was grateful for the huge support I received today, they were brilliant from before I even arrived on court - if I could take them all around the world with me I would!”

By Josh Landy in Melbourne