Heather Watson

While there are still a handful of British representatives at the tournament, home favourites are increasingly hard to come by.

Peers and Polasek had no such encouragement, but broke serve in the fifth game of the fourth set. Playing some superbly crafty tennis, they broke serve and won the third set when Polasek double faulted. Both men, however, were seeing the ball with laser-like accuracy, full of clever chips and lobs, the 40-year-old Soares’ wrist and racket in particular constantly angled to deliver something unexpected. Six service breaks inflicted on the home pair were indicative of the difference. Nevertheless, gradually, she and her partner took control of the match, forcing their British adversaries into a string of unnecessary errors. They won the first set 7-5, breaking in the final game.