• British No1 pulls out with injury before taking lucky loser spot • Kyle Edmund and Andy Murray also not fully fit for Melbourne

Johanna Konta has calmed fears she could miss the Australian Open by taking up a lucky loser spot in the main draw of the Sydney International, just hours after retiring from a qualifying match with a neck injury.

The British No 1 withdrew from her second qualifier in Sydney against Ekaterina Alexandrova, of Russia, just 18 minutes into the match after hurting her neck in the warm-up. Konta was 4-1 down at the time.

Her camp insisted the move was precautionary and, soon after treatment, she accepted the place in the draw that was made vacant by the withdrawal of the US Open champion Naomi Osaka. Konta was due to face Kiki Bertens, the world No 9 from the Netherlands, in the first round.

With Kyle Edmund and Andy Murray among the wounded suffering from injuries old and new, Konta’s injury update was a welcome lift for British hopes at the Australian Open, which begins in a week’s time.

Murray arrived in Melbourne sounding lukewarm about his chances of making an impression in a tournament in which he has lost five times in the final.

He went out in the second round of the Brisbane International on Wednesday to Daniil Medvedev, who reached the final of that tournament on Sunday night before losing in three sets to Kei Nishikori. There was a glimmer of British hope when Heather Watson qualified for the main draw of the Hobart International by beating the 22-year-old Australian Isabelle Wallace, 6-4, 6-4, in qualifying. It followed her fine win over Naiktha Bains in the first round.

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Watson, who won this title four years ago and reached the semi-finals last year, exchanged breaks with Wallace before breaking again to take the first set in 45 minutes. She blew two match points in the 10th game then served out for the win.

“When I come to Hobart I’m always feeling really positive and excited about the tournament,” she said. “When I’m happy, I play better. I’m very happy here and I think it shows in my results.”

In Brisbane, Nishikori beat Medvedev to win his first ATP title in nearly three years – and only the 12th of his career – a poor return for such a talent. But the world No 9, so often hampered by injury, will go to Melbourne buoyed by his form and fitness after winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 against one of the brightest young contenders in the field.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kei Nishikori (left) beat Daniil Medvedev in three sets in the Brisbane International final. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

Nishikori, who had lost nine finals in a row, surrendered the first three games before taking six of the next seven and converting five of 15 break-point chances. Medvedev, who beat Nishikori in the Japan Open final in Tokyo last year, soaked up serious pressure to level at a set apiece. However, Nishikori broke for 3-1 in the third and stayed solid to win for the first time since he lifted the Memphis title in 2016.

The former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova also had to fight to win her 12th Tour title – and second in Brisbane – coming from a set and a break down to beat Lesia Tsurenko 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

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The world No 8 sensed victory when her Ukrainian opponent rolled her ankle at the start of the third set, and said later: “I think everything was against me today. I felt there is no chance I can win. I felt so far away from playing good tennis.”

Pliskova becomes the third woman to win the event twice, after Victoria Azarenka (2009 and 2016) and Serena Williams (2013 and 2014).