Johanna Konta stepped up her return to form with a 6-7(6) 6-1 6-2 victory over 11th seed Jelena Ostapenko at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
The Brit, 27, has experienced a difficult year on tour. She has only reached one final (in Nottingham) and she has already lost 16 matches – just two fewer than she lost in 2017.
However, Konta found form in San Jose. She thrashed Serena Williams 6-1 6-0 en route to just her third quarter-final appearance of the year.
Thankfully for the Brit, she looks to have maintained that form so far in Montreal. Nevertheless, she endured a tricky first set against Ostapenko as both players struggled for rhythm on their serve.
Both were broken three times as the set swung one way and the other. The Latvian hit some trademark winners but also made a similar number of errors.
Konta hung in and forced a tie-break, only for Ostapenko to edge it and take a one-set lead.
However, the Latvian’s game fell apart in the second set. The winners dried up but the errors continued to flow from her racket. All the Brit had to do was get the ball into court, stay solid and watch as game after game passed by Ostapenko.
It all added up to a 6-1 set in Konta’s favour. Despite some harsh words from her coach Glenn Schaap, the World No.11 did not improve much in the decider.
She managed to battle to 2-2 after competitive games. Then her level dropped and the Brit reeled off four consecutive games to seal a good win.
Kvitova stays solid to beat Kontaveit
In the second match on the main court, Petra Kvitova eased to a 6-3 6-4 win over Anett Kontaveit.
The Czech, 28, has enjoyed a wonderful year on the WTA tour. She has claimed four titles (three of them at Premier level) and won 38 of the 46 matches she has played.
However, Kvitova seemed to hit a wall at Wimbledon as she was defeated in the first round for the first time since 2009.
Wisely, she took a month off after that loss to rest. And she now looks fresh and ready to compete once more.
Kontaveit challenged Kvitova in the first set and really made her produce some excellent tennis to win it 6-3.
The Estonian was then broken in the first game of the second set and she could have capitulated at that point. Instead, she fought even harder and made Kvitova work for every point.
However, the Czech held firm and withstood plenty of pressure on her serve to win the set 6-4 and secure an impressive victory. She could face Karolina Pliskova next.
