LEGEND KEV WILL ROUSE THE RHINOS
GARY HETHERINGTON is certain Kevin Sinfield will be a success, despite the Leeds legend coming under fire over a shambolic season.
The Rhinos are the most successful club in Super League history, winning the Grand Final eight times in 14 seasons and a Treble in 2015.
But this year – less than 12 months after Sinfield returned as director of rugby to a club he graced as a player – has seen just five wins. They will also lose captain Kallum Watkins (above) at the end of the campaign in a salary cap dispute.
But chief executive Hetherington said: “I’ve total confidence our fortunes will change. In Kevin Sinfield we’ve someone with a really clear understanding of what change is required.” SLOANE STEPHENS v JOHANNA KONTA ACES DOUBLE FAULTS FIRST SERVE WIN ON 1ST SERVE WIN ON 2ND SERVE NET POINTS WON BREAK POINTS WON RECEIVING POINTS WON WINNERS UNFORCED ERRORS TOTAL POINTS WON SERVICE SPEED (MPH) MAX SPEED AVERAGE 1ST SERVE SPEED AVERAGE 2ND SERVE SPEED 1
1 36/48 (75%) 24/36 (66%) 4/12 (33%) 3/4 (75%) 0/1 (0%) 13/54 (25%) 12
14
41
103 92 76 JO KONTA was always a troubled soul in Paris – and last year even called the media “bastards” for mentioning she had never won a match here.
Yesterday, after arguably the best performance of her career, she declared she was “super-pleased” to join Sue Barker and Jo Durie as the only home women to ever reach the last four here in the Open era.
From a clay-court blunderer and blamer to the best of British. What a 6 2 38/54 (70%) 33/38 (86%) 8/16 (50%) 3/4 (75%) 3/7 (42%) 20/48 (42%) 25 13 61
109 98 86
difference a year makes. “It’s always nice to be in great company and to be amongst great players,” Konta said.
“There is a great sense of pride to be alongside my compatriots from years before.
“I’m super-pleased, I have been playing some great tennis so far this fortnight and pleased with how I keep adapting to the different challenges, the different opponents. I am enjoying the tennis I am playing.”
Watching her, it is not surprising. Konta did not just beat last year’s runners-up and Major champion Sloane Stephens on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
She annihilated her. She won seven straight games – and 18 consecutive points on her service in the second set. The British No.1 hit 25 winners, including six aces, and broke the Stephens serve three times.
After she hit one backhand cross-court winner in the first set, the American just stared at the line in disbelief.
After she dismantled the world No.7 6-1 6-4 in only 70 minutes, her Fed Cup
captain Anne Keothavong said “Wow, just wow. That performance gave me goose bumps.”
Asked how she felt, Konta said: “Happy more than anything. I feel just really happy. Yeah, happy, I think, is the main word, main feeling.
“I feel really pleased with just how I dealt with the conditions out there and how I gave myself space to play. I thought I played the game, which I was just really pleased with. Just happy.”
Stephens hit the target as often as her fiance, the former Sunderland striker W11 L4 Best -
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Jozy Altidore (one league goal). She then blamed the wind for her heavy defeat.
“There wasn’t very much clay on the court today so that was tough,” said the 2017 US Open winner.
“She likes to play on hard court and grass and the court was fast today and that worked in her favour.”
Until Konta reached the final in Rabat, she had never won more than two consecutive main draw matches on red clay.
Now the runner-up in Rome is two matches away from being really happy.