Heather Watson dispels fears about her health with two wins in China

Heather Watson put any lingering concerns about her health to bed as she won two qualifying matches on Saturday to book her place in the Wuhan Open in China.

Watson was last seen exiting the US Open in the first round in worrying circumstances as she was running on empty in a straight-sets defeat by Richel Hogenkamp and needed medical treatment. In the aftermath of that harrowing afternoon at Flushing Meadows, the British No2 feared she may have suffered a relapse of glandular fever, which stalled her earlier in her career, after saying the symptoms were similar.

However, blood tests came back clear and Watson proved beyond doubt that she is 100% as, in sweltering conditions in central China, she first beat Chang Liu in three nervy sets, 6-1, 0-6, 6-4, before coming back to get past America’s Samantha Crawford in commanding fashion, 7-6, 6-2.

This is the 24-year-old’s first tournament since New York and she insists she is feeling in top shape. “I got the blood test results and they are all fine, I am very healthy,” she said. “I just think it was a mixture of things, maybe stress and anxiety, and the heat is always a factor. But I feel as if I am fit. I train in Florida, so I was fit and ready, I think it was just the other things that affected me.

“I know I am fit; I spoke to one of my friends before I went on court and he told me I would be fine because I train twice a day. I know I can do it. I haven’t had a lot of singles matches, just with the way things have worked out, so I haven’t played as much as I would have liked, matchwise.

“I am really pleased to have got through, especially as I had to play twice. I did that earlier in the year at Hobart and I remember getting frustrated because I was tired and my opponent hadn’t played at all. Today I made sure I didn’t make the same mistake.”

There were more lessons Watson learned as, after winning the first set comfortably against Liu she capitulated, allowing herself to be bagelled before eventually edging a tight deciding set.

She was in no mood to make the same mistake against Crawford and, after taking the first-set tie-break 7-3, she won 18 of the next 19 points to saunter into a 4-0 lead in the second set.

“I felt in cruise control at that point,” Watson said. “I lost the momentum in the first match and lost my way in the second set and I was determined that I wasn’t going to do that again. I am also pleased because I don’t feel as if I played my best and to win when you’re not doing that is a good confidence boost.”

Watson will face her training partner, Madison Brengle, in the first round of the main draw, where she is joined by fellow Brit Johanna Konta, who plays Annika Beck, with both women in action on Monday.