Jo Konta and Kyle Edmund begin their Aussie Open campaigns on Tuesday

For the first time in recent memory, there are compelling British title contenders in both the men's and women's events at a Grand Slam.

Making his debut as top seed at a major, Andy Murray battled through three hard-fought sets against Illya Marchenko, seeing off the Ukrainian 7-5 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 to book his place in the second round.

In the women's event, Jo Konta's meteoric ascent looks set to continue, as - fresh off the back of a second WTA title, won in Sydney last week - she returns to the blue courts at which she enjoyed such success a year ago, becoming the first British woman since Jo Durie in 1983 to reach the semi-final of a Grand Slam.

The ninth seed's first round opponent comes in the form of Belgian Kirsten Flipkens, who - with a career-high ranking of 13 - will force Konta to hit the ground running in Melbourne.

Britain's golden girl

How far can Jo Konta go in Australia?

The pair have met three times before, with the Briton emerging victorious twice, although she was thwarted in their most recent encounter - in Monterrey last season.

Such a result cannot be considered prophetic of their meeting, however. Konta is in scintillating form, striking the ball with greater aggression and precision than ever before, having enjoyed a successful pre-season with new coach Wim Fissette, and with a season of top-tier tennis now beneath her belt.

Murray makes winning start

The top seed reaches the second round in Melbourne

With Murray and Dan Evans both safely through their opening matches, and Aljaz Bedene making an early exit at the hands of Victor Estrella Burgos, all eyes will be on 22-year-old Kyle Edmund, who faces Santiago Giraldo on Tuesday.

This will be the pair's first meeting, as Edmund - world no 46 - targets his first win at Melbourne Park, but they did hit together the day before the draw, ensuring a degree of familiarity with the other's game.

The Briton will be buoyed by some impressive recent performances, including taking the opening set against Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International earlier this month, backed by a solid stint of pre-season training with Murray in Miami.

Naomi Broady has been quietly climbing the WTA rankings, ending last year within the top 100 for the first time in her career, an ascent now rewarded with her first main draw appearance in Melbourne.

Her opponent's rise has been far more prodigious. Daria Gavrilova, at just 22 years of age, is ranked 26th in the world, and frequently touted as a future star of the game. Although born in Russia, the youngster resides in Melbourne, and will have a wealth of home support as she makes her third Australian Open appearance, having reached the last 16 a year ago.

Until Konta's emergence last season, Heather Watson led the British charge at Grand Slams, although her best result on these courts came in 2013, when she reached the third round.

Watson has a challenging day in store, in the form of Australian Sam Stosur. The 18th seed leads their head-to-head 2-0, and suits a hard court - she won the US Open back in 2011 - but has historically struggled at this event.

By the third day of play last year, only two Britons remained in the singles events at Melbourne Park. This time, two have progressed already, and there is every chance of this tally being surpassed over the next 24 hours.

Check our game-by-game updates from Andy Murray's matches at the 2017 Australian Open by following our blog on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad or our Twitter account @skysportstennis.

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