Guernsey tennis star Heather Watson in Australian Open singles action

Watson was forced to start training in a hotel room after a positive Covid-19 case on her flight to Melbourne. Credit: PA Images

Guernsey tennis star Heather Watson will face Czech Republic's Kristyna Pliskova in the first round of her Australian Open singles tournament.

The British number two will take to Court 10 second at Melbourne Park with the session starting at 11am local time (9 February) - midnight in the UK.

Watson came from a set down to beat Pliskova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 at the same stage in last year's competition.

The 28-year-old was one of 47 players forced to self-isolate at a hotel for a fortnight in mid-January after a positive Covid-19 test was identified on her flight from Abu Dhabi.

Watson shared videos on social media of creative pre-tournament preparation whilst she was unable to train during quarantine.

Watson also begins the women's doubles competition on Wednesday, partnering Canadian Leylah Fernandez.

They face a tough challenge against China's Shuai Zhang and Australia's Samantha Stosur, the tournament's 10th seeds.