"We were all making up nicknames for each other and mine somehow got to Bamm-Bamm and then I set up a Twitter account and made it a little bit different," a relaxed Stosur said of a Fed Cup dinner in April, which spawned the inspiration for her new Twitter alias.

"Our coach ended up being Prince, Alicia ended up being Fabio. I can't actually remember them all because there were so many different twists and turns how we got to every name. It was a very, very funny night."

Make what you will of Stosur's entry into the labyrinth of social media that is Twitter and Instagram with a handle referring to the muscular Flintstones character, but there is no doubting the hopes of a nation in the Australian Open may not be so crushing on those broad shoulders this year.

At least not on the evidence of a tight three-set win over world No.16 Lucie Safarova, who had every right to think she had been delivered a late Christmas present when the main draw pitted her against Stosur at the first hurdle. Safarova has won the past six clashes between the pair.

"I guess I am probably a bit more relaxed about it this time around," Stosur said on Monday. "I think last year I handled [the Australian Open build-up] well. To be honest, I haven't thought of or had any one particular thing said to me that's helping.

"I think it's just going through all these experiences and trying really to just embrace it. I'm really trying to make it about what I'm trying to do on the court and play the way I want to play win or lose."

Her return to Sydney has brought with it a much-needed change of fortune, toppling Safarova 7-6, 5-7, 6-3 in a rain-affected match on Ken Rosewall Arena as compatriot Jarmila Gajdosova, the other leading Australian in the women's singles draw, upset world No.13 Andrea Petkovic.

There was little fluency about the performance. Rain delays – two even before the second game had been completed – meant it lasted more than three hours in total.

But this was all about the result. And Stosur got exactly what she wanted, sending down a thundering ace on match point when recent history suggested a meltdown was more in order.

On the final point, Stosur said: "I had a couple things going through my mind. Probably really can't repeat them. I wanted to step up and be aggressive and use my weapon. Yeah, that's my serve.

"Probably first set served well; second set my percentage dropped a fair bit; and then in that third set I felt like it really got me out of trouble in some of those tricky moments."

Stosur claimed the 90-minute opening set in a tie-breaker before the 27-year-old Safarova broke her in the final game of the second set to send it to a decider. Stosur broke her opponent late in the deciding set to serve out the match.

It didn't take long for the Sydney drizzle to leave its mark on the match, forcing the players from the court after the first point of the match. They returned five minutes later but, after the first point of the second game, Stosur and Safarova came off again with Stosur holding on to the advantage.

Stosur gained the advantage eight consecutive times as she looked to break her opponent at 2-2, eventually taking the game in her ninth attempt. But she surrendered her early advantage, allowing Safarova to break straight back, levelling the set at 3-3.

The players were forced off the court twice more in the first set before Stosur saved three set points off her own serve to set up a tie-breaker. She then steamrolled the Czech in the tie-breaker 7-3 to take the opening set but any momentum she had just gained was lost in the opening game of the second set when she failed to hold serve.

The tug-of-war contest finally tilted in favour of the local hope when she broke the Czech to present herself with a chance to serve for the match, capitalising on the opportunity to close out the set 6-3.

Meanwhile, Gajdosova recovered from an early lapse in the second set to beat German Petkovic 6-1, 7-6 on an outside court.

Gajdosova trailed 4-0 in the second set after starting impressively but battled back to book her spot in the round of 16.

SAM STOSUR'S SYDNEY STUTTERS

2013: 1st round loss to Sofia Arvidsson

2012: 1st round loss to Francesca Schiavone

2011: 2nd round loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova

2010: 1st round loss to Flavia Pennetta

2009: 1st round loss to Serena Williams

2007: 2nd round los to Jelena Jankovic

2006: 1st round loss to Nicole Vaidisova

2005: Lost in the final to Alicia Molik