Italian Open: Johanna Konta beats Marketa Vondrousova in quarter-finals
Johanna Konta booked her place in the semi-finals of the Italian Open with a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Marketa Vondrousova on Friday.
After her exploits on Thursday in which she overcame Sloane Stephens and Venus Williams, Konta showed no sign of fatigue as she swept to the first set.
But despite being taken to a deciding set by the 19-year-old Czech, who is ranked 44th in the world, it was Konta who came through with a brilliant display.
The world No 1, Naomi Osaka, pulled out of the quarter-finals with a right thumb injury, casting doubts over her participation in the French Open. The 21-year-old from Japan was scheduled to face the sixth seed, Kiki Bertens, after coming through two matches on Thursday in the rain-affected tournament but said she was forced to withdraw owing to pain and swelling at the base of her thumb.
“I woke up this morning and couldn’t really move my thumb,” Osaka said. “I tried to practise and grip my racket but I couldn’t, and I kept feeling pain when I tried to move my hand in different directions.”
Roger Federer was also forced to pull out of his quarter-final in Rome against Stefanos Tsitsipas as Rafael Nadal closes in on a ninth title. The Swiss, who has never won this title, saved two match points against Borna Coric in his second match on Thursday but succumbed to a right leg injury. “I am not 100% physically and, after consultation with my team, it was determined that I did not play,” he said.
Nadal will now play the 20-year-old Tsitsipas in the semi-finals after a 6-4, 6-0 win over Fernando Verdasco. The Greek beat Nadal at the same stage in Madrid earlier this month.