Konta content with Miami progress
British No 1 Johanna Konta produced a much-improved performance to ease past Pauline Parmentier and book her place in the fourth round of the Miami Open.
After struggling to see off qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich in a three-set marathon on Saturday, the British number one was given no such problems as she beat her French opponent 6-4 6-0 yesterday.
Parmentier had arrived in Miami full of confidence after reaching the third round in Indian Wells where she took a set off second seed Angelique Kerber.
But after an even start to the match Konta seized the initiative in the seventh game of the match when she swatted away a backhand to take the first break.
With a first serve percentage in excess of 90 per cent, Konta gave her opponent no way back in the opening set and would step up her advantage in the second.
Immediately, Konta broke to take the first game of the second set then a superbly measured forehand into the corner gave her the double break for 3-0 and effectively sealed a surprisingly routine success.
Growing increasingly disillusioned, Parmentier’s game collapsed as Konta broke again to love before duly serving out to take her place in the last 16.
The 10th seed next faces American eighth seed Madison Keys or Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena for a quarter-final place. “I’m happy to have come through that,” said Konta.
“Although the scoreline doesn’t show it in the second set, I still had to work hard within every single point. I really tried hard not to take my footoffthegasandstayfocused on what I wanted to achieve.”
World No 1 Angelique Kerber came back from a break down in each set to beat American Shelby Rogers 6-4 7-5.
The German will next play Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki, after she saw off Julia Goerges 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.
In the men’s singles, second seed Kei Nishikori of Japan beat Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (72) 6-7 (5-7) 6-1, while Canada’s third seed Milos Raonic withdrew ahead of his match against Jared Donaldson with a recurrence of a hamstring injury.
Raonic said: “It was not possible to compete today without putting myself at significant risk.”
Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares beat Paolo Lorenzi and Joao Sousa 6-0 6-3 in the second round of the men’s doubles