The 34-year-old continued her poor form on home soil, exiting the Brisbane International in the first round for the fifth time in six years.

Stosur went down to world No. 139 Marie Bouzkova 4-6 6-2 6-2. 

It was a promising start from the Gold Coast local despite being broken in the third game of the opening set but as the match drew on the Czech qualifier found her groove, only losing two points from her serve, to overpower the world no.74. 

It's a potential worry sign for Stosur, who is still chasing her first win at the Australian Open since 2015 and has not made it to the second round of the Brisbane tournament in nine visits. 

It's not the way Stosur would have wanted to end 2018 but new coach, Nick Watkins, says it wasn't a 'total disaster'.

“She played well. I’m still really happy with quite a few things that I did out there and feel like I’ve still taken a step in the right direction,” he said.

Stosur still has another lead-in event before the Australian Open as she takes to the court next week for the Sydney International.