Jo Konta

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Konta beaten by Ons Jabeur in Eastbourne on Day 4
Eric Han for Tennis Atlantic

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The biggest shock on Day 4 at the Eastbourne International was British women’s number one, Johanna Konta, beaten by world no. 62, Ons Jabeur in straight sets 6-3 6-2.

After the match, Konta analysed her match and said: “Well, to be honest, I mean, I think I just played an opponent who played very well today. I didn’t feel like I actually did too much wrong. Actually, I don’t think I did anything wrong. There is very few things I could have tried differently or more of, but to be honest, I actually thought I did quite well in the amount of questions I asked my opponent today, and she just was answering them every time.”

“It’s just she played incredibly well. She was able to get back balls from different positions of the court and hit winners from different positions of the court. Any changes of rhythm that I actually tried to give, yeah, she was just able to find her range and find her game from any balls that I gave her, which obviously makes it quite difficult for me not to be able to kind of put her on the back foot at all.”

When asked about whether she tried to change anything strategically in the game, Konta said: “I tried to obviously sometimes slow down the balls a bit because I know she absorbs pace very well. And then I tried to speed it up, because I tried to get at it that way. I tried to sometimes go through the middle a bit more. She was moving around the ball quite well. So then I tried to move it out wide.”

“She was moving well out wide (smiling). So then I tried to use slower slices. I tried to use faster slices. I actually thought I varied my serve quite well. I went through pretty much every serve I can hit.”

On the men’s side, the top two seeds were eliminated. America’s Taylor Fritz defeated the number one seed, Guido Pella in three close sets, 6-4 3-6 6-4. Also, the number two seed Laslo Djere was eliminated by qualifier Thomas Fabbiano in two tiebreak sets 7-6 7-6.

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Looking ahead to Thursday, the marquee match on the women’s side will be former world no. 1 Simona Halep taking on defending Wimbledon champion, Angelique Kerber.

On the men’s side, it is the battle of the Brits, as British no.1 Kyle Edmund playing against his compatriot Dan Evans.

Edmund commented about his upcoming Evans match “He’s seeing the ball well. It’s another opportunity for me just in the match itself, forgetting about Dan… I just gotta get out there and play my best, really. Last few days I have been in a good place playing. I liked how I transferred that to the match court today. Hopefully I can keep improving.”

“Dan’s game is obviously, backhand probably 75% is slicing or something. I think there will be a bit more longer rallies with Dan because he slows up the ball a lot more.”

British Players Jo Konta and Dan Evans Win in Eastbourne
Eric Han for Tennis Atlantic

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British no.1 Johanna Konta came through two tough sets today 6-4 7-6, against Greece’s Maria Sakkari to advance to the next round at the Eastbourne International.

After the match, Konta said: “Maria played well, to be honest. Yeah, no, I’m pleased I was able to stay calm and also just a good perspective. I don’t think anything major happened. It was important to see it that way and see the good things that I was doing. Yeah, I mean, it could have easily gone to a third set, so I definitely wasn’t taking anything for granted out there. Yeah, just pleased to have just, yeah, kept a good perspective and just competed well.”

“I’m very pleased to come through that. I think there was so little in it and in both sets. Our points actually felt that she was playing better than me, so I was just really pleased that I was able to stay with her and create a few opportunities and take a few of them. So, yeah, pleased I have come through.”

She will face Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the third round, who she played back in 2015 in Sydney qualifying- a match that the Brit won comfortably in straight sets 6-2 6-2.

British player Dan Evans also came through today by beating Moldova’s Radu Albot 7-6 6-2. In the press conference, he said: “Today I felt a bit flat at the start but got into it. You know, I hung around a

lot last week, played dubs. So I was a bit lethargic at the start, but I thought I got going and I’m pretty happy with the end of that match. Yeah, it was a good match. It’s a great week for me.”

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When asked about his thoughts about being back again competing in Eastbourne, Evans commented, “Yes, I mean, it’s nice to being back here, having another good match on grass before Wimbledon. That’s why I’m here. I like to play here on (the) grass, so I try to enjoy every match and every moment right now.”

Defending Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber had a tricky match-up as she played former top world 10 player, Samantha Stosur, but nevertheless prevailed in straight sets 6-4 6-4.

In her press conference, she discussed the differences between winning her maiden Grand Slam title in Australia and winning Wimbledon last year. “I think after I won Australia, a lot of things change. I mean, especially in Germany. It was so huge that someone after Steffi won the first Grand Slam, and, yeah, without expectation, I played in Australia and everything.”

“And of course then to winning Wimbledon as my third Grand Slam was even more special, because it was not just that I had the lucky draw or I just won my first one. It was my third one. And Wimbledon was always the tournament that I really would like to win one day.”

Other notable mentions are sixth seed Simona Halep taking out Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei 6-2 6-0 and Caroline Wozniacki beating Andrea Petkovic 6-4 6-4.

Johanna Konta and Heather Watson soar through to semis on hectic day in Eastbourne
Elliot Cornish for Tennis Atlantic

Johanna Konta and Heather Watson surged into the semi-finals of the Eastbourne International, both claiming third round and quarter-final victories within a matter of hours on a bumper day.

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Konta battled past French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in three gripping sets before downing world number one Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-4 to conclude the day’s play, as she thrived on the Centre Court billing. Watson was left to work her magic on the outside courts, but strolled past 14th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-3, and then overcame Barbora Strycova 6-1 1-6 6-4 in an encounter full of momentum swings.

Konta will now meet last year’s runner-up Karolina Pliskova in the semis, after the Czech bounced back from a 4-2 deficit in the final set to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova. Pliskova’s third round victory triumph came courtesy of a straight sets win over Peng Shuai; Kuznetsova reached the quarter-final stage with a victory over Kristina Mladenovic.

Watson will go up against former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, after the Dane rallied from a set down to take out Simona Halep 5-7 6-4 6-1. Wozniacki had previously beaten Elena Vesnina 6-1 6-2 in the third round, while Halep sneaked past Tsvetana Pironkova 6-7(6) 7-6(4) 7-5.

In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic edged Donald Young 6-2 7-6(9) to reach the last four, but was made to work in the second set, with Young unable to convert while serving for it. The Serb’s semi-final opponent will be Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, who secured two impressive wins over Robin Haase and fourth seed Steve Johnson, both in three sets.

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Meanwhile, Richard Gasquet showcased perhaps his best form of the season, dispatching Kevin Anderson 6-4 6-4 in the early morning, before coming back to take out another big server, John Isner, 6-3 6-2 in rapid fashion. An all-French last four clash was ensured by Gael Monfils, who returned after seeing off British wildcard Cameron Norrie to defeat Bernard Tomic 7-6(4) 6-0 on Court 1 in the quarter finals.

Konta brings Ostapenko down to earth

Ostapenko, fresh from her French Open win, came into her third round match against Konta full of confidence, not least as a Grand Slam champion but by winning her last five tour matches in final set deciders.

The Latvian assumed early control, breaking at the first opportunity with her incisive backhand causing numerous problems for Konta. However, the Brit dug in and got back into the contest, before snatching the opener on her third set point against the Ostapenko serve.

Konta looked to strike decisively early in the second, and almost broke Ostapenko early, but the steely 20-year-old kept swinging hard and confidently, and reaped the rewards by breaking in the seventh game, and handily once more at 5-3 to eliminate the pressure of serving for the set.

Ostapenko seemed in control, but faltered from 40-0 up to drop serve in the third game of the decider. Yet Konta was unable to seize on her rival’s mistakes, losing her next two service games as a fiery Ostapenko established a 4-2 advantage.

But in typically unpredictable WTA fashion, the Roland Garros victor capitulated from thereon. Most costly for Ostapenko was her forehand, which splayed numerous errors, although an errant ball toss – which she should have caught – contributed to an all-round malfunction as Konta gladly accepted consecutive breaks. She then eventually snuck over the line on her third match point, to the delight of the home crowd.

Djokovic impresses against Young before scraping through

Djokovic’s duel with Young was certainly a match of two halves, with both responsible for the fluctuations. The opening set would have been precisely what the Serb was hoping for from his stay in Eastbourne, cruising through it 6-2 and appearing at ease.

But the past 12 months have been far from plain sailing for the 12-time Slam champion, and Young’s improved level combined with a Djokovic drop off made for a tasty second set. The American proved tougher, saving two break points early on to keep up. However, as the crunch point arrived, a few signs of Djokovic’s frailties emerged, particularly on the forehand – a shot he got stuck and collapsed on at times. Young grabbed a break to move 5-4 up as Djokovic wobbled, but he stumbled too as the latter broke back after saving a set point.

A tight tiebreak followed, with Young getting another set point at 6-5, however he did little wrong, with Djokovic serving big out wide. An untimely double fault for Young at 9-9 was pivotal though, as Djokovic got the win in one hour and 37 minutes.

Friday’s schedule

The women’s semi-finals and men’s semi-finals will be played in that order on Centre Court on Friday.

Wildcard Watson and Wozniacki start things off at 11am and will be followed by Pliskova v Konta.

Djokovic and Medvedev will take to the court not before 1pm, before Gasquet and Monfils round off the Centre Court action in what strikes as the match of the day.

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In the doubles, Bob and Mike Bryan play Andre Begemann and Andres Molteni first on Court 1 in their semi-final, with Robin Haase/Dominic Inglot v Rohan Bopanna/Andre Sa due on for theirs simultaneously on Court 2. The men’s doubles final is scheduled last on Court 1 on Friday.

Ashleigh Barty/Casey Dellacqua v Timea Babos/Andrea Hlavackova are second on Court 1 for the women’s doubles semis, and will be followed by Nicole Melichar/Anna Smith v Yung-Jan Chan/Martina Hingis.

2017 Australian Open Women’s Preview and Predictions
Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic

The draw has been made, the excitement is building and the first grand slam of the year is just days from getting started. Angelique Kerber is the top seed and defending champion of the Australian Open, can she defend her title? Or will somebody else step up to the face whether new or familiar? Here is a run down of the draw.

Top Quarter:

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Kerber’s start to 2017 has not be great as she faced early exits in Brisbane and Sydney, but this is a grand slam in which she is the defending champion, so the motivation will be multiplied. The German starts her campaign against Lesia Tsurenko, a player who took the top seed the distance in the build up to the tournament. Kerber’s section is full of dangerous unseeded players such as Yaroslava Shvedova and Kristyna Pliskova, both of which may fancy themselves to take advantage of an out of sorts Irina Begu in the opening rounds. The fourth round could bring on a rematch with Daria Kastakina who stunned the world number one in Sydney. The young Russian is one of the most promising players on tour, and with a good draw against Roberta Vinci in the third round, Kasatkina could find herself making the second week.

Garbine Muguruza is about as predictable as the weather in Britain. One day she looks like a future world number one, the next she barely looks top 100. Either way this is quite a kind draw for the Spaniard who will play Marina Erakovic in round one. The first seed projected is an Anastasija Sevastova who is on a seven match losing streak… ouch. Muguruza could end up facing compatriot, friend and doubles partner Carla Suarez Navarro in the fourth round. She too has a good draw to last 16 with Shuai Zhang being the biggest threat. An all Spanish affair is on the cards for the round of 16 with Muguruza looking good for at least the quarter finals.

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Many fans will be hoping for a Kerber-Muguruza quarter final, and that is likely to happen. Kasatkina is perhaps the biggest threat to that match, but her vs Muguruza is no less interesting. With the seventh seed it is difficult to predict which version will show up, so the safe bet is on Kerber making the semi finals.

Prediction: Kerber def. Muguruza

Second Quarter:

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With the tour being so wide open, there is a good chance of Simona Halep breaking through the glass ceiling and claiming her maiden slam. The Romanian has a good draw in front of her, can she take advantage? The first real test should come in the form of Monica Puig in the third round. The Puerto Rican has the power to blast through the strong defence of Halep. Speaking of power, Venus Williams packs plenty and she will be hoping for one last shot at grand slam glory. Like Halep, the American has a good draw to the round of 16 with the third round against Kiki Bertens being the toughest challenge. The chances of a Halep vs Venus clash for a spot in the quarter finals are quite high and that would be a high profile showdown.

Svetlana Kuznetsova is a potential dark horse here and out of the four possible semi final opponents, she got the best one. The Russian is no known for remarkable consistency but on her day she can beat anyone on tour. The path to the fourth round should be simple enough with Laura Siegemund being the other seeded player in that mini section. Elina Svitolina in the last 16 is where things get real interesting. The Ukrainian is still highly touted to make a breakthrough at any time now, and this could the tournament to do it. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is her toughest test before Kuznetsova. The winner of that fourth round match may fancy their chances of making the last four.

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This is a tough section to call as the two projected fourth round matches could go either way. Venus is capable of beating Halep, but on a slower surface you would favour the Romanian to get through. Svitolina vs Kuznetsova is a toss up, but the Ukrainian has beaten Kuznetsova here before so she can do it again. I feel this could be a good tournament for the youngster, and she could beat Halep and make the final four, so I am going out on a limb and predicting Svitolina to advance.

Prediction: Svitolina def. Halep

Third Quarter:

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The third quarter is perhaps the most stacked of all and promises a very interesting quarter final between Agnieszka Radwanska and Karolina Pliskova. First they must get through a tough draw of players though, kicking off with Tsvetana Pironkova for the Pole. Radwanska has some tough floaters in her draw including Mirjana Lucic-Baroni who is a potential second round foe. Alize Cornet had a good run in Brisbane so comes into Melbourne with form on her side and could give Radwanska a tough match in the third round. The fourth round will likely be against Elena Vesnina, but the Russian has struggled with form in the build up to the tournament. Sam Stosur will be hoping for a good run at home, but her record in Australia is not good, so it may be a good chance for an unseeded player such as Heather Watson, Joanna Larsson or Magda Linette to make the fourth round.

Pliskova is the form player heading into the Australian Open after a good run of play saw her lift the Brisbane trophy at the start of the season. The Czech has a fair draw to the fourth round with Monica Niculescu and Yulia Putintseva being the most difficult tests. The last 16is where things get interesting as there are a number of players in this mini-section capable of making an impact. Timea Bacsinszky and Daria Gavrilova are the seeds, but will they manage to compete against each other in the third round? Gavrilova faces Naomi Broady then possibly up and comer Ana Konjuh in the second round. The Swiss faces the dangerous Camila Giorgi in the opening round so there are plenty of upset chances on the cards. However, Pliskova is expected to make it through this section, problems or not.

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Radwanska vs Pliskova is difficult to call, but the match lies in the hands of the fifth seed. If Pliskova is on point with her power then it will be difficult for Radwanska to resist. If not then the Pole will win the match by virtue of consistency. Given how well Pliskova played in Brisbane, it is difficult to look past her getting through here.

Prediction: Pliskova def. Radwanska

Bottom Quarter:

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Serena Williams’ dominance of the WTA tour came to an end in 2016 as she was dethroned by Kerber as the best female tennis player in the world. 2017 will see the 22 time Grand Slam champion look to not only reassert her dominance, but also make history, starting in Melbourne. Serena will still be the favourite in most peoples minds despite being the second seed, but she could have hardly asked for a tougher opening match. Belinda Bencic, a player who knows what it takes to beat her, will kick off he world number two’s campaign. It does not get much easier with former French open finalist Lucie Safarova possibly awaiting in the second round and the big serving Timea Babos the first seed Williams will likely come across. From there Serena will likely go on to face Barbora Strycova or Caroline Garcia, two talented but very different players who can cause trouble in many ways. To say Serena will have to earn her place in the quarter finals is an understatement.

Dominika Cibulkova knows what it takes to reach the final in Melbourne, and with a bit of luck she might like her chances of repeating that feat in 2017. Her draw looks pretty good with Ekaterina Makarova in round three being the toughest predicted opponent until the fourth stage. There she could meet in form Brit, Johanna Konta. The ninth seed was superb in Sydney where she captured the title so comes into Melbourne full of confidence. She has a tricky opener against Kirtsen Flipkens and a possible match with talented Japanese youngster Naomi Osaka in round two. All eyes will be on a potential round three clash with Caroline Wozniacki though. This is one of the most anticipated third round matches looking at the draw, and the winner could reach the quarter finals and a potential meeting with Serena.

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Williams feels vulnerable in this section because there are plenty of players who are capable of upsetting her in every round. British fans will be interested in my predicted quarter final of Serena vs Konta, but I feel they will not like the result. Serena struggles but advances through this section to meet Pliskova in the semi finals.

Prediction: Serena def. Konta

Semi Finals

I have gone on a limb and predicted Svitolina to make her first grand slam semi final, but it is difficult to see her progressing any further. It is likely the pressure will get to the Ukrainian, the same pressure in which Kerber thrived on last year. Their head to head is close and Svitolina did win their Brisbane clash, but this is a different stage and I see Kerber prevailing

Prediction: Kerber def. Svitolina

Pliskova pulled off one of 2016’s stunning upsets by defeating Serena at the US Open to make her maiden Grand Slam final. The question on whether she can do it again will be at large, but the thing with the American is, she always seems to win the next big meeting. I can see it being a close match, but this time I feel Serena edges it.

Prediction: Serena def. Pliskova

Final:
So it will end up being a repeat of the 2016 final as Serena faces Kerber. The German pulled off a stunning display a year a go to win her maiden slam, a performance that kicked off an incredible year for the world number one, in which she went on to make the Wimbledon final and win the US Open. She lost to Serena in that very Wimbledon final though, and the world number two had seemingly made some adjustments to counter Kerber. It is a tough one to predict, but I am going with Serena based off their last big meeting. I will not be shocked to see Kerber do it again, and I will not be shocked if Serena does not even make the final. But I am going to predict her to win Grand Slam number 23 in Melbourne.

Predicton: Serena Williams def. Kerber

Recapping Tuesday and Wednesday at WTA Eastbourne 2016
Elliot Cornish for Tennis Atlantic

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Tuesday:

Defending champion Belinda Bencic was dumped out of the Aegon International on Tuesday, suffering a second-round defeat to Russia’s Elena Vesnina.

Both sets of the near two-hour battle went to tie-breaks, after Bencic gave up break advantages in both sets. The 19-year-old then spurned two set points at 6-5 in the second, when given the opportunity to send the match to a decider.

Vesnina, who is ranked 53 in the world, had more guile in the bigger moments, and picked up the win on her fourth match point, to book a third-round meeting with qualifier Madison Brengle.

Home favourite Johanna Konta defeated Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in straight-sets in front of the day’s biggest crowd.

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The 11th seed, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals in January and has risen to 18th in the world, was not at her best but ground hard in a tough opening set which could have gone either way.

After nearly an hour, plenty of chances were presented to Konta when Tsurenko served at 5-5 in a marathon game full of unforced errors from both. The Brit didn’t manage to get the break, but proved tougher than Tsurenko in the tie-break, taking it 7-4.

A much different tale unfolded in set two, with Konta snaring a pair of breaks to race into a 5-0 lead, before wrapping up the match 7-6 6-1 on her second match point.

Konta will play two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the third round after the latter overcame Timea Babos in the opening match on Centre Court.

The Czech was made to work on her most prolific surface, but ultimately had too much for her Hungarian adversary, closing out a 6-4 7-6 triumph in one hour and 48 minutes.

Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska was given an easy path into the third round after Mirjana Lucic-Baroni was forced to retire.

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The Pole was leading 6-4 2-1 before her Croatian opponent determined she could no longer continue. It had been an intriguing battle until then, with Lucic-Baroni’s hard, flat groundstrokes proving troublesome for Radwanska’s style, and the former perhaps should have taken command of the contest.

After slipping a break behind early, Lucic-Baroni levelled at 3-3, but couldn’t capitalise after taking the first two points of her Radwanska’s next service game. She then meekly conceded the set while serving at 4-5 with an error-strewn game.

Yet after being broken to start the second, Radwanska looked set to have to scrap further in her opening match of the week. However, Lucic-Baroni’s racket misfired again as she surrendered her serve, before retiring shortly after.

Former champion Caroline Wozniacki made short work of seventh seed Sam Stosur in a second round encounter that was cancelled on Monday. The Dane was potent on the Australian’s serve, breaking four times as she cruised to a 6-2 6-1 win in an hour and eight minutes.

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Wozniacki was rock solid on serve, saving all four break points that she faced. She faced Monica Puig in the third round, after the Puerto Rican was handed a pass into the third round, when her opponent Ana Konjuh retired while trailing 6-1 5-3. Second seed and US Open finalist Roberta Vinci was upstaged by Ekaterina Makarova in three sets on Court 1. The Russian, who beat Heather Watson on Monday, came back from a set down to win 4-6 6-4 6-3 and set a last 16 date with Andrea Petkovic, who beat another Italian in Sara Errani.
Eugenie Bouchard continued her good form, seeing off Irina Camelia-Begu in swift fashion. The Canadian eased to a 6-3 6-1 victory and will take on Radwanska on Wednesday, a match which will give a better assessment of where her level currently is. Karolina Pliskova made short work of Daria Gavrilova, but is due a tougher challenge next against Kristina Mladenovic, who beat Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in three sets.

It was a busy day in Eastbourne with many first round matches that were canceled due to rain on Monday having to be played early on Tuesday, leaving many players having to pull double duty. However, a dry day has allowed the tournament to get back on schedule, and with good weather forecast for the rest of the week, the event should have no further scheduling dramas.

Wednesday:

Britain’s Johanna Konta stunned two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova with a come-from-behind victory in the third round of the Aegon International in Eastbourne. Konta, who lives in the seaside town, fought back after disappointment in the opening set to record a 5-7 6-4 6-0 win in front of a partisan crowd. The win sees the 11th seed match her Eastbourne performance from last year, while Kvitova – whose movement looked poor in the closing stages – heads to Wimbledon with questions. After a steady start, Konta grabbed the initiative, racing into a 5-2 lead courtesy of some effective shot-making and inconsistency from her opponent. However, when the chance to seal the set presented itself, the Briton faltered, firing a set point long before losing five games in a row – in which she was broken three times – to hand the Czech the set.

There was enough evidence in that set to suggest Kvitova was not the grass giantess we have become accustomed to seeing. A performance plagued with errors kept Konta interested throughout, and after scraping out another break midway through the second set, the home favourite held firm, serving out the set 6-4 in a tense game which went to deuce.

Yet the grandstand finish didn’t materialise in the way anticipated. As Konta rose to the occasion, Kvitova began to tail away, becoming visibly disinterested and frustrated as the decider wore on. The former raced into an early lead and did not look back, knuckling down and allowing her adversary to make mistakes, particularly off the forehand wing. The tide never turned, as Konta served up a bagel and her first triumph over Kvitova.
Afterwards, Konta said: “There are not words big enough to describe the support you the crowd have shown me. I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.”

Andrea Petkovic or Ekaterina Makarova will be next up for the Eastbourne local in the last eight, with the pair scheduled to finish their match tomorrow – which Petkovic currently leads 1-0 – after rain curtailed play in the early evening.
Agnieszka Radwanska, the top seed, had far too much for Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard, as she cruised to a 6-3 6-3 success in the second match of the afternoon. The latter appeared to be recapturing some form after comfortably progressing past Varvara Lepchenko and Irina Camelia-Begu, but came unstuck against the wily Pole, who executed her plan well, forcing Bouchard to play the extra ball regularly. Radwanska broke in the third game of the match, and held onto the edge before streaking to the set, winning the last eight points.
The second set was a more topsy-turvy affair with Bouchard taking first blood. However, the world number 48 lost the break immediately before dropping her serve again next time around. Unwilling to die down, she got through Radwanska in the following game. But a sloppy effort at 3-4 provided the world number three with a chance to close out the match on serve, which she did to 30.
Dominika Cibulkova will play Radwanska in the quarter finals, after the Slovakian worked past Katerina Bondarenko in two hours on Court 1. The Ukrainian took early command of the first set with an early break, but couldn’t serve out the set as Cibulkova reeled off four games. But the 12th seed was not without nerves either, as Bondarenko broke to move the set into a tie-break, which she lost 7-3. A freer Cibulkova stormed through the first half of the second set, moving 4-0 up, and even though a brief fightback was staged, the diminutive player claimed a 7-6 6-3 win.

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Caroline Wozniacki failed to build on her victory over Sam Stosur, losing out in three sets to Monica Puig in the first match of the day. The contest, which began 90 minutes later than expected following rain, looked to be going in the Dane’s favour when she won the first set 6-4. But she lost the momentum late in the second set, when Puig snared a break to move 5-3 up, before serving the set out to 15. The world number 41 won the first two games of the final set, but Wozniacki capitalised on a loose game from Puig make it 2-2. However, the 2009 champion rarely found things easy on serve, and the pressure eventually told. Puig broke in the often-crucial seventh game, and held steady thereafter to chalk up a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win in two hours and 15 minutes.

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Puig will now face Kristina Mladenovic, after the Frenchwoman saw off Anna-Lena Friedsam in straight sets.
Elsewhere, Elena Vesnina built on her win over 2015 champion Belinda Bencic, with a 7-6 6-4 defeat of American qualifier Madison Brengle.

Thursday’s matches:
A rain-affected day leaves a scheduling headache for Thursday, with two third-round matches still incomplete. Doi and Pliskova will conclude their match on Court 1 before Petkovic and Makarova resume their battle.
Mladenovic and qualifier Puig are first up on Centre Court, before Radwanska takes on Cibulkova. Vesnina then awaits the winner of Doi-Pliskova, with Konta rounding off the action against Petkovic or Makarova.

Konta Continues Fairy Tale Run at WTA Eastbourne 2015 Wednesday
Elliot Cornish for Tennis Atlantic

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British wildcard Johanna Konta continued her fairy tale run at the Aegon International, knocking out Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in three sets in Eastbourne.

The world number 146 once again came out of the blocks quickly, asserting control over her more decorated opponent. Konta maintained her advantage but couldn’t serve out the set, however the Spaniard faltered as well, and was broken to surrender the opener 6-4.

Muguruza settled into the match as it wore on and after moving ahead 2-0 in the second, the rest of the set went on serve – despite the world number 20 having to save five break points – and she took the second, also by a 6-4 scoreline.

In the third, Konta warmed to the challenge, receiving strong support from the British crowd as she stormed into what appeared a match-winning 5-1 lead. However, Muguruza nicked one of the breaks back and held to love to keep the pressure on her Australia-born adversary, but Konta kept her composure, serving out the match in a little under two hours.

In a battle of two former champions, Caroline Wozniacki recovered from a poor conclusion to the first set, to advance past Svetlana Kuznetsova in a high-quality affair.

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After surviving a break point in the first game, Wozniacki surged to a 5-1 lead, displaying good movement and her trademark knack of keeping the ball in court. She was, however, broken by Kuznetsova while serving for the set and the Russian capitalised on a flurry of errors from the Dane, breaking twice to get back on serve.

Wozniacki held in the 11th game to edge 6-5 ahead and couldn’t snatch the initiative as Kuznetsova shakily managed to force a tiebreak, which the Russian dominated due to an array of Danish errors, winning it 7-3.

Kuznetsova was broken early though in the second set and after her opponent fought through a tough fourth game, Wozniacki pushed on, breaking once more to level up the match.

She lost momentum though as Kuznetsova took the first game against serve, but Wozniacki refound her groove to roll off six successive games and book a place in the last eight against Andrea Petkovic, who defeated Coco Vandeweghe 6-3 6-4 on Court 1.

On the forthcoming match with Petkovic, Wozniacki said: “Another tough match. We’ve played each other many times and you know she’s had a good year so far, I’m just excited to be in the quarters.

However, there was British disappointment later in the day as Heather Watson fell to Sloane Stephens in straight sets in front of an expectant Centre Court audience.

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The Briton struggled to find her rhythm from the off and had already slipped a double-break behind by the time of the first sit down – a combination of unforced errors from Watson and tidy play by the American. Despite sticking around late in the set, Stephens was clinical in wrapping it up 6-2.
Watson worked her way into the battle in the next, but after breaking back to draw level at 2-2, she meekly surrendered her following service game, a blow she was not able to recover from. Stephens offered no further opportunities and, to compound the misery, secured yet another break to complete the win.

Bouchard retirement sees Bencic reach quarters

Eugenie Bouchard retired from her last 16 match against Belinda Bencic while trailing a set and 3-0 with an abdominal injury. The misfortune continues what has been a torrid season for the Canadian and she will enter Wimbledon next week – where she made the final last year – severely undercooked.

The first set of the match was nip and tuck, but Bencic managed to fight off a break point at 3-4 to stay on serve and then she immediately broke the seventh seed in the following game, before serving out the set to 30.

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Bouchard’s problems were becoming clearer as the contest wore on, and after slipping behind a double break in the second set she called for the trainer, at which point she decided to pull out.

However, in a bid to allay concerns, she has already commented: “I am going to play Wimbledon no matter what, even if I am on one leg.”

The result moves Bencic into the Eastbourne quarter-finals for the first time – where she will play Konta – and is further indication of the growing prowess of the 18-year-old Swiss, who is currently ranked 31 in the world.

Tsvetana Pironkova brought Dominika Cibulkova’s comeback tournament to an end, roaring back from a set down to defeat the Slovakian on Court 1 at Devonshire Park.

Cibulkova pinched the lead through a tiebreak after a lengthy first set and looked poised to back up her win on Tuesday against Lucie Safarova. However, Pironkova began to excel from thereon and was never in danger after winning the second set, closing out the victory 6-7(4) 6-4 6-1 in two hours and 25 minutes.

Agnieszka Radwańska picked up one of her best triumphs of the season, sailing past eighth seed Karolina Pliskova for the loss of just three games in 56 minutes. The Pole, who has fallen outside the world’s top 10, is due to face Bulgaria’s Pironkova in the quarter-finals.

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Daria Gavrilova staved off a second-set resurgence from Sara Errani in the final singles bout of the day on Court 1, making full use of her main draw ticket which came after Petra Kvitova withdrew. Her next obstacle comes in the form of the American Stephens.

Doubles Results

In the last doubles duels of the first round, Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina beat Lara Arruabarrena/Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4 6-0. The second seeds will now play Cara Black/Lisa Raymond after they defeated Monica Niculescu/Arina Rodionova.

Julia Goerges/Lucie Hradecka saw off Anabel Medina Garrigues/Arantxa Parra Santonja 7-6(2) 6-1 to book a meeting with Yung-Jan Chan/Jie Zheng in the final eight.

In the quarter-finals, Caroline Garcia/Katarina Srebotnik progressed past the British team of Jocelyn Rae/Anna Smith after the latter retired upon losing the first set. They will play Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza in the last four, who battled back to take out Hao-Ching Chan/Flavia Pennetta on Centre Court.

Quarter-final schedule
With just four singles matches to be played on Thursday at Devonshire Park now the tournament has reached the quarter-final stage, all of them will take place on Centre Court, with the action scheduled to start at 11.00 A.M.

Pironkova and Radwanska will kick things off before British hopeful Konta takes on Bencic. Then, Gavrilova will continue her quest for a deep run against Stephens, with Wozniacki versus Petkovic set to conclude play in what may well be the match of the day.

In the two remaining doubles quarters, Black/Raymond vs Makarova/Vesnina will follow on from the singles on Centre, while Goerges/Hradecka against Chan/Zheng is due on Court 1 at 1.00pm.

Defending Champion Madison Keys Falls in Eastbourne
Elliot Cornish for Tennis Atlantic

Wozniacki vs Gajdosova 2015 WTA Eastbourne (Elliot Cornish)

Belinda Bencic brought Madison Keys’ reign at the Aegon International in Eastbourne to a swift end, beating the American 6-2 6-2 in under an hour.

The Swiss youngster took full advantage of an error-strewn showing from Keys, breaking her opponent twice in each set. The defending champion failed to find any consistency on her forehand, an essential facet of her game, and hence unforced errors were aplenty throughout the match.

Bencic ensured she kept the ball in court with regularity, forcing Keys to play the extra shot, and also produced some exquisite tennis of her own, including a couple of exquisite lobs.

The win continued Bencic’s strong grass swing, backing up her final appearance in s’Hertogenbosch earlier in the month.

She said: “It feels very natural for my game [grass courts] so I don’t have to change everything. I think it suits me well.”

Britain’s Johanna Konta knocked out fourth seed Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets, in the first match of the day on Centre Court.

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Konta – who is ranked 146 in the world and was wildcarded into the tournament – backed up an impressive performance over Zarina Diyas at the weekend, breaking her Russian opponent five times in a 6-2 6-4 win at Devonshire Park – her first against a top-10 player.

The Australian-born Briton was dominant on serve in the opening set, not having to face a single break point, and while Makarova pegged her back twice in the second, a crucial breakthrough at 4-4 proved pivotal, and she closed out the contest in her following service game.

“On paper it is my best-ever win,” said Konta. “I had to play some of my best tennis out there and I managed to do that.”

The victory moves her into the third round where she will take on Garbine Muguruza, who battled back from a set down to best Polona Hercog, winning the final set 6-0.

There was more British success in the form of Heather Watson’s gritty fightback to overcome Elina Svitolina, in the final match on Centre. Trailing by a set, the British number one dug in from a break down in the second to pinch it 7-5, and despite wasting one break in the final set, she took her next opportunity with the Ukrainian serving at 4-5, sealing the win on her first match point.

Eugenie Bouchard found a much-needed win over America’s Alison Riske, accelerating well after a tight first set. The opener went to a tiebreak which the Canadian won 7-5, and she broke midway through the second to record a 7-6(5) 6-3 triumph.

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The 21-year-old will suffer a heavy ranking drop if she fails to defend the 1400 points she received upon making last year’s Wimbledon final, and her readiness for SW19 is sure to come under much more thorough examination in Eastbourne this week.

Bencic will play Bouchard in the last 16, and after her clinical dismissal of Keys, the latter will have to be wary since her style of play is not unlike the American’s.

Wozniacki moves through

Jarmila Gajdosova was unable to maintain her strong start as Caroline Wozniacki moved through the gears to collect a straight-sets win. The former was a break up early in the match but was broken while serving for the first set. Wozniacki then edged through a shaky tiebreak before cruising through the second 6-2.

“I know that Jarmila is a really tough opponent and I’ve had tricky matches against her in the past and she plays very powerful tennis, good serves, so for me it was all about just keeping my mental toughness and just go for the right shots,” said the former world number one.

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Svetlana Kuznetsova, who won the title here in 2004, will meet Wozniacki on Wednesday after she dispatched Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 6-3 6-4.

Meanwhile, last year’s finalist and Birmingham winner, Angelique Kerber, withdrew from the event on Tuesday due to a “viral illness”. As a result, Monica Niculescu was given a spot in the main draw, but she lost to Coco Vandeweghe 7-5 2-6 6-1.

Birmingham runner-up Karolina Pliskova arrested a second-set slide to come through in straights against Casey Dellacqua. The eighth seed took the first set 6-4 but slipped 5-2 behind the Australian in the second, before rolling off five consecutive games to move through to round three.

Dominika Cibulkova’s comeback picked up pace with a 7-6(7) 6-4 victory over recent French Open finalist Lucie Safarova. The Slovakian staved off two set points on her opponent’s serve in the tiebreak before prevailing, and then an early break in the second gave her a lead she would not relinquish.

Ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska breezed past American qualifier Irina Falconi on Court 1, winning love and two in a mere 57 minutes. The Pole, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2012, is due meet Pliskova in the next round.

Elsewhere, grass specialist Tsvetana Pironkova took out Sam Stosur in two tight sets on Court 2. The Bulgarian broke late in the first to win it 7-5, and she won all seven points in the second-set tiebreak to progress.

Sloane Stephens made sure Carla Suarez Navarro’s stay in Eastbourne was a short one, dumping out the fifth seeded Spaniard 6-1 7-5 in the second match on Court 1. Her last 16 match will be against home favourite Watson.

France’s Caroline Garcia’s continued her patchy start to the grass season as she fell easily in two sets to Germany’s Andrea Petkovic. The world number 31 was broken four times in a 6-2 6-4 loss, as the 10th seed strolled through in just one hour and 20 minutes.

Sara Errani and Daria Gavrilova also booked a third round clash after beating Barbora Strycova and Camila Giorgi respectively in deciding sets.

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Wednesday’s matches

The Aegon International moves into the last 16 on Wednedsay with four singles matches to be played on Centre Court and Court 1.

Bouchard will open proceedings on Centre against Bencic, with Muguruza-Konta and Kuznetsova-Woznacki to follow, before Watson once again is the final match on when she challenges Stephens.
On Court 1, Cibulkova versus Pironkova will kick off the action at 11.00am. Radwanska then takes on Pliskova, with Vandeweghe and Petkovic to play match three. Gavrilova and Errani will then conclude the day.

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The doubles also continues tomorrow with the top seeds set to enter the tournament. Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza are fifth on Centre Court against Hao-Ching Chan/Flavia Pennetta, while Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina are last on Court 2 when they meet Eugenie Bouchard/Marina Erakovic.