TENNIS

Johanna Konta denied she had been seeking revenge as she eased to victory against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea at the Aegon International at Eastbourne yesterday.

The third-round victory sets up a match today with French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, of Latvia.

British number one Konta’s comfortable 6-2, 6-2 defeat of the 62ndranked Cirstea represented their first meeting since Great Britain’s Fed Cup fixture in Constanta in April when Konta also won but left the court in tears amid a row with Romania coach Ilie Nastase.

She had been called a bitch by Nastase, and Cirstea then accused her of gamesmanship as she cried. But instead of taking particular satisfaction at her Eastbourne victory, Konta dismissed suggestions she had been driven by the experience.

“I wasn’t playing in a Fed Cup setting,” the 26-yearold said.

“I put it to bed a long time ago. I have been moving on from that situation that I was a part of since it happened.”

Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, won his first match at Eastbourne yesterday, defeating Canada’s Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 25 minutes.

Marcus Willis is one match away from a return to Wimbledon after winning the all-British qualifying tussle with Liam Broady.

Willis, 26, who memorably faced Roger Federer on Centre Court last year, won 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (2-7), 6-2 at Roehampton yesterday.

Laura Robson will go into Wimbledon with just one win on grass behind her after losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of the Aegon Southsea Trophy.

Rain stopped play on Tuesday after Russian Alexandrova had taken the first set and they were forced to resume indoors yesterday. Robson hit back well to level the match but it was Alexandrova who prevailed in the decider, winning 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

Fellow Briton Katie Boulter followed Robson out of the tournament.

The 20-year-old had a tough assignment against former top-10 player Andrea Petkovic and lost 6-2, 6-2.