Big response from the Brit. No messing this time as she powers down a winner to Flipkens' forehand side.

She follows that up with a backhand approach that has too much fizz for the Belgian and then moves onto match point with a smashed winner.

Just over an hour and a half played and it's Konta with the chance to serve out the match, but she misses a couple of first serves in succession and that allows Flipkens to establish a foothold in the game at 0-30.

A bit of frustration there from Flipkens, she bounces her racquet on the ground after a misplaced forehand that gives Konta the break point.

And the Brit takes full advantage with another well-placed crosscourt backhand. She'll have the chance to serve for the match.

Rushing back towards her own baseline Konta wraps her racquet around a low bouncing Flipkens approach to almost curl it away from the onrushing Belgian, classy.

She's back-pedaling again from a high Flipkens return, but the ball is dropping out from such a height that Konta loses it in the sun and it lands on her feet - that gives the point to Flipkens!

Well that backhand of Konta's has been key in the last couple of points.

Flipkens allows the Brit to attack her with two short returns that Konta snaps up wiith a couple of superb backhand winners down the line to hold serve.

Oooo, that was close. An almost identical backhand from Konta must be slightly deeper this time, too deep in fact as it's called long.

The Brit moves to advantage, but a fierce Flipkens return this time is aimed right into the feet of Konta and she can only jab a racquet down to it. Deuce.

The Konta backhand is beginning to fire, she works Flipkens around the court before the Belgian under-cooks a return and it clips the net.

Flipkens pegs Konta back to 30-30, but another deep backhand has Belgian scrambling and she goes long.

Well, just as I said Flipkens was making Konta work she loses three points in a row to give the Brit a break point.

And Konta takes it, stepping in to Flipkens' second serve with a powerful backhand return across court.

Nice from Flipkens. The Belgian may be a set down but she's continuing to make Konta work, especially on her own serve.

Elsewhere, Serena Williams is out on court over on the Rod Laver Arena where she will face Belinda Bencic.

Konta is taking a little longer over her serve, each prolonged bounce of the ball a moment to gather some composure. And with that the Brit quickly goes 30-0 up.

Flipkens responds, but Konta has the Belgian on the run for the next point and the world number 70 can only find the net. And that's the game to Konta, comfortably holding serve.

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A well-executed game from the world number 70. She dispatches Konta quickly with an array of big forehands and deft winners to edge ahead again in this set.

Flipkens has swapped her headband for a visor as the Melbourne sun continues to beat down on the Margaret Court Arena, she's got sunglasses to boot but still looks a little dazzled by the glare.

A couple of smart points take the Belgian into a 40-15 lead as she feigns a big hit and then dinks one beyond Konta.

Lovely from Konta, but her forehand winner is being challenged by Flipkens. 

Hawk-Eye shows what a well-placed shot it was from the British number one - right on the line - and Konta then lets out a "come on" for the first time in this match as she wins the game.

Konta gets the better of one of the match's longer rallies to make it 15-15 on her serve, but in an equally hard-fought exchange on the following point it's Flipkens who finds the winner as she leans back and guides a forehand out of the Brit's reach.

Big serve from Konta, and that's 30-30.

Well, that's a fine passing forehand winner from Konta in response to a jump backhand from her opponent.

A fourth break point in this game, but that's a fourth saved from Flipkens. And she then cruises through to put herself ahead in the second set.

Flipkens saves the first two of those break points with some scrambling defence, although it was Konta's slightly misplaced drop shot that gave the Belgian a chance to reach it.

The British number one then sends a wayward forehand long and it's back to all square at deuce in this game.

Right, Flipkens is back from a quick break, she grabs a swig of water, a quick nibble on an energy bar and she's out to serve the first game of this second set.

It's Konta who looks sharpest early in this second set though, she goes 0-30 up and then fires a forehand winner straight of the serve of Flipkens to earn a three break points.

Johanna Konta, very much in the same vein as Andy Murray yesterday, looked a little tense out there in the first set but, just as the men's world number one did, she managed to find a way to close it out - hitting 12 winners to Flipkens' eight.

So much power there in a forehand winner to make it 30-0 and leave Flipkens with no chance of a return.

The Belgian has no answer to the next Konta approach either and she has three chances now to serve for the set.

Flipkens' return is long, that's the first set to the Brit.