Problems for Brisbane organisers with withdrawals through injury by two of the top three men’s seeds, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray before even striking a ball, and the loss of women’s top seed Garbine Muguruza through severe cramps in her first match (a second round encounter with Aleksandra Krunic).
However the tournament has progressed, not well for Australia’s brightest prospect Ash Barty (8) who was wiped off the court in the first round by Lesia Tsurenko 6-3 6-2
The Ukraine player simply out served and returned better, not having to save a break point, while converting 3 of 5 created on her behalf.
Sixth seed Kristina Mladenovic also failed to progress beyond round one, falling to qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, ranked 88 from Belarus.
In the biggest first round match on paper, fifth seed Johanna Konta overcame losing set one, to defeat 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys 4-6 6-4 6-3 in two hours.
Konta is through to the quarter finals, having won her next match against unseeded Ajla Tomljanovic, again requiring to come back from a set down.
She is joined in the last eight so far by seventh seed Anastasija Sevastova and unseeded pair Alize Cornet and Aleksandra Krunic.
In men’s action two more seeds have exited in the first round - Gilles Muller (5) and Damir Dzumhur (7), Hyeon Chung and Denis Istomin the respective winners.
Berdych (3) and Carreno Busta (2) have been ousted in Doha first round shocks.
Ostapenko (2) has been soundly beaten in her first match of 2018 in Shenzhen.
The top four seeds, including Caroline Wozniacki (1) (who will move to number 2 in world rankings after this week), all survived Auckland’s first round. Seeds 5 through 8 crashed.
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