Wimbledon 2019: Konta reaches third round after fine performance against Siniakova

Johanna Konta played her best tennis of the tournament to impress the British fans at the Championships Wimbledon on Thursday. The highest seeded countrywoman took care of business to clinch her first win over Katerina Siniakova with a 6-3, 6-4 win on Centre Court at the All England Tennis Club. It was her second career advance to the third round and the first since her terrific path to the semis in 2017.

She opened with a late push to break in the first game but her efforts to limit the number of points to Siniakova were denied. The Czech forced deuce where they reached two breaks before the 23-year-old clinched the break back. The Brit returned to serve to secure the hold and got lucky with a terrific return game that saw Siniakova struggle to make it back. At one point in the fourth, she took a tumble twisting one of her legs which kept her down for a minute. The game was completed with Konta securing the double break for a 3-1 lead.

She went on to consolidate the break for a three-game winning streak before an important hold for Siniakova kept the deficit at two. Konta showed the Czech that she was in charge and despite the double fault held the seventh to pressurize Siniakova into giving her the opening set. The Czech refused to let it happen that way but as Konta served for it, she easily reached set point using a crosscourt strategy that saw the Czech return the ball into the net on a backhanded error ending the first set after 32 minutes.

A key service game got Siniakova off to a good start in the second set with her conducting well-focused rallies to hold off Konta. The challenge came when the Brit served but in her first serving game of the set, she notched her second double fault. It didn’t take away too much from the 28-year-old as she remained firm enough giving Siniakova very little chance of a break. The Czech found it more important to continue her service holds and be patient for an opportunity.

The first chance fell to Konta in the seventh when she broke ahead on Siniakova’s service creating break point attempts. The Czech saved two to force deuce but erred on returns to give the lead to the 19th seed. Konta consolidated the game-changing break with a hold to play for the match with Siniakova on the edge. The latter again made sure not to let the match end on her watch and drew errors from Konta in the ninth.

With the crowd well behind her, the 28-year-old Konta served for the match scoring a terrific crosscourt winner to start. Siniakova scored a break back point playing well in the rally to set up a net-front lob to get on the board. Konta answered back with consecutive aces to reach two match points. One got away from her on a line drive into the net but the second came good in a seven-shot rally where Konta moved Siniakova all the way to one corner before she had the open court to notch the victory, ending the contest in one hour and nine minutes.

“I played a very tough opponent and was really pleased that I was able to hold serve the way I did,” Konta said during her interview with BBC reporter Lee McKenzie. “I thought I served quite well and definitely helped me. She’s very tricky and at any point, she could gain some momentum and start playing incredibly well so I overall pleased that I could come through that.”

Whether or not Konta will make it to the second week of the competition would be decided in her next match against American Sloane Stephens whom she has faced three times this season, winning each game.

“I think we’re going through all the surfaces,” Konta joked. “I always enjoy great players and she’s one of the best players in the world so it’ll be nice playing on a different surface on grass this time.”

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