Watson and Konta ease British team past Latvia
Tennis
GREAT Britain last night took an unassailable 2-0 lead against Latvia in their Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I match in Budapest.
heather Watson gave the British team, captained by Judy Murray, the perfect start to the Group B roundrobin encounter by seeing off 16-year-old Jelena Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1.
Sydney-born Johanna Konta then completed the job with a battling 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 victory over Diana Marcinkevica in the second singles meeting, ensuring the doubles would be a dead rubber.
Britain – one of 17 teams in Budapest this week aiming to clinch a play-off tie for a place in World Group II – next face Romania tomorrow and then hosts hungary on Saturday.
At the Zagreb Indoors meanwhile, defending champion Marin Cilic of Croatia was first through to the quarterfinals, beating Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-4, 7-5. Fifth-seed Cilic converted only three out of ten break points, two of them Lajovic double-faults. Cilic improved to a 16-1 record in his last five attempts here, winning titles in 2009, 2010 and 2013. “I served very well,” he said. “Some things did not work well today and I made too many unforced errors.”
Eighth-seeded Dutchman Igor Sijsling came back from 3-1 down in the third set to defeat Blaz Kavcic from Slovenia 6-7 (7-4), 6-3, 6-4 and reach the second round.
Dudi Sela of Israel ousted sixth-seeded Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) in the first round.
Sela led by a set and 5-3 before Rosol broke back and forced a tiebreaker. But Sela moved into an early lead again and closed out the match.
Lucky loser Daniel Evans of Britain, who made the draw after the withdrawal of Radek Stepanek with a heel strain, defeated another Czech, Jan hajek, 6-3, 6-1. Russian qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov beat 2008 champion Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) while Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan defeated Victor hanescu from Romania, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5).