Shaky Konta serving up a mixed bag
JOHANNA KONTA made a shaky start to the new season before battling past US Open finalist Madison Keys and into the second round of the Brisbane International.
Konta, who prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, needed two hours and eight minutes to quell the challenge of her American opponent as her usually reliable serve spluttered early on before eventually coming to her rescue at the Pat Rafter Arena.
“This was my first match in quite a while, so I’m really happy to have had such a competitive match against such a great player,” she said.
“It was a really tough first round for both of us. Madison is an incredibly good player, so I feel very lucky that I got to play her so early on and really have a good match.
“She has a big game so when my chances came, I had to take them.”
World No19 Keys missed eight opportunities to break Konta’s serve before she finally succeeded while up 5-4 to take the first set.
Konta appeared to calm her serve and nerve in the second set, fighting back with an early break to go up 3-2. The world No9 then held on to level the match at one set apiece.
The Briton battled her way to a 2-0 lead in the decider as Keys began to tire and finished the match with another break to set up a clash with Ajla Tomljanovic in the next round.
Double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova withdrew from the event with a viral illness. The 27-year-old Czech was unable to take the court against Anett Kontaveit and was replaced in the draw by lucky loser Heather Watson. But after losing the opening eight games, Britain’s Watson was never in the match, with the Estonian wrapping up an easy 6-0, 6-3 triumph.
In the men’s draw, Mischa Zverev powered past Australian qualifier John-Patrick Smith 6-4, 7-5, while local hope Matthew Ebden dumped out Frances Tiafoe with a 6-3, 6-2 win to set up an all-Australian second-round clash with the big-serving Nick Kyrgios.
At the Shenzhen Open in China, world No1 Simona Halep swatted aside American Nicole Gibbs, while Maria Sharapova was flawless in her straight-sets victory over Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu.
Halep, who sealed a 6-4, 6-1 victory, struck three aces and fired 12 winners, and was at her aggressive best to set up a second-round clash with China’s Duan Ying-Ying.
Sharapova hit 18 winners and needed an hour and 22 minutes to dispatch Buzarnescu 6-3, 6-0 for a winning start to the year.
Men’s world No1 Rafa Nadal, who is struggling to get any match practice before the Australian Open, will play an exhibition event at Melbourne Park in the week leading up to the season-opening Grand Slam.
The 31-year-old Spaniard has not played since he withdrew from the season-ending World Tour Finals in London in November with a knee injury.
The eight-man field at the Tie Break Tens event, where the winner will earn £185,000, also includes Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Kyrgios and Lleyton Hewitt.