• Australian Open, Day Five

Watson: I need to learn to take my chances

Heather Watson admits she needs to learn to take her chances better © Getty Images

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Heather Watson admits she needs to learn to take her chances better but is taking heart from her defeat to Agnieszka Radwanska after she bowed out of the Australian Open.

Watson battled hard but to no avail as the world No. 4 claimed a 6-3 6-1 victory to move into the fourth round at Melbourne Park.

The British No. 1 suffered a sobering defeat to Radwanska at Wimbledon last year, and while the end outcome was the same, Watson believes her performance showed signs of improvement.

"I feel like I did a lot better this time than last time, and the score doesn't really show how I felt out there. I felt like I was in it and it was a lot closer," Watson said. "But I felt a lot more confident this time.

"I felt like I could have been closer to winning that first set, and next time I'm just gonna have to learn to take my opportunities and get better at that and staying mentally tough and focused throughout the whole match."

While Watson believes she has the necessary tools to challenge the top players, she admits there are aspects of her game which require improvement. However, she is encouraged by the success of her opponent, who has made it to the top of the women's game, despite lacking the firepower of her opponents.

"I think it's great that she's got to the top playing such a different game," Watson said. "And it's quite refreshing, I think, because lots of the girls just want to hit one or two shots, big serve, smack a return.

"I feel like in a way I do have kind of a similar game to Agnieszka. But, yeah, I feel like I have a lot of variety in my game. I don't just try and smack everything and just play one way. I adapt my game to whoever I'm playing. I hit dropshots; I come to the net.

"I want to continue being aggressive and coming to the net. And just learning how to take my chances and play the important moments better, because you don't get many chances against the top players and you need to take them when you get them."

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