Wozniacki overcomes stiff resistance from Konta

Wozniacki recorded her first win in three meetings with Konta.

Published : Jun 27, 2018 23:46 IST , Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Caroline Wozniacki had to battle hard to book her place in the quarterfinals at the Eastbourne WTA tournament on Wednesday as the Danish top seed beat Britain's Johanna Konta 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Wozniacki, who ended years of frustration in the Grand Slams by winning the Australian Open title earlier this year, recorded her first win in three meetings with Konta in what is a key warm-up tournament for Wimbledon, which gets underway next Monday.

Konta's defeat would have been especially painful as Eastbourne is where she lives for most of the time when she is not on tour.

Wozniacki, the world number two, will face tough opposition in the next round in the shape of Australian Ashleigh Barty, who beat Konta in the final on grass at Nottingham earlier this month.

“Jo played really well and she loves the grass,” said Wozniacki.

“After the first set I think I got a little bit more of a rhythm and I played better. I was lucky to get it in the end.

“We both played really well and I was just out there trying to get one more ball into the court and stay aggressive with the serves and returns.

“She's (Barty) a tricky opponent, especially on grass. I practiced with her earlier this week. We'll see.”

Wozniacki's path to the Eastbourne title appeared a little clearer when earlier on Wednesday two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova withdrew due to a hamstring injury which the Czech first felt when she won in Birmingham last Sunday.

The home crowd were to be treated immediately afterwards by a battle of two British stars, former world number one Andy Murray and the man who replaced him as national number one Kyle Edmund.

Murray, who beat Stan Wawrinka in his first round clash on Monday to suggest he is getting back into some kind of rhythm after missing 11 months through a hip injury and subsequent operation, is yet to make his mind up if he is to compete at Wimbledon where he has been champion twice.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment