Johanna
Konta started 2018 with an end to her
losing streak from last season at the Brisbane International
Monday. The world number nine had a hot long day against Madison Keys going the
distance to win 4-6,
6-4, 6-3 at Pat Rafter Arena at Queensland Tennis Centre. It was the first
match the Brit won since playing in Cincinnati back in August.
The two met last year in Beijing, two weeks after the
American lost the US Open final to Sloane Stephens. The Brit took her to three
sets in that battle against Keys who was looking for ways to remedy the pain of
being so close to winning her first slam. The win put Konta on an even keel in
her new series with Keys. 2018 brought a new slab for both of them to make good
upon and bring together a positive start to the season.
The two started the match with holding serve on one another
through the first four games. Keys led the way with her serving ahead of Konta
to lead after five. The pace continued for Keys who had a leg up on Konta after
the eighth holding her own in the ninth. The American put the pressure to the
Brit who allowed the only break of the set bringing a close to 42 minutes of
play. While it was a patchy run to the opening lead with 15 unforced errors and
14 winners, the 22-year-old showed the consistency to march on.
She opened the second set with a controlled win over Konta followed
by a break that gave her a lead once again. The third saw a positive response
from the world number nine as she set up a triple break of Keys to complete the
win in the fifth to lead for the first time. A hold by Konta gave her a two-game
margin from Keys in the hopes of pressuring the American. Keys answered with a
victory on serve but couldn’t consolidate the break on Konta who got to 5-3
with the chance of sending the two deep.
Keys held in the ninth to stay alive but the 26-year-old
still had opportunities to hold off the American from ending her day. Konta did
just that in her quest for a third set reaching two set points to go all the
way. It took her 37 minutes to get to this point averaging 85 percent on the
serve and making just a pair of unforced errors and only five winners.
She showed even more power as she pulled off a break to love
on Keys to take the opening game in the third. Not wanting Konta to dictate,
Keys fought with all her energy to get a win on the break. They went to deuce
that reached six breaks before the British star held on to consolidate with the
serve. Keys found a way to get on the score with a service hold but more had to
come in order to play an even game with Konta going forward.
She couldn’t keep up with her as the Brit had an agenda and
was following it to widen the gap. While it wasn’t easy against the American,
Konta led 4-3 putting the pressure down on her serve well in the late stages. A
hold in the eighth put Keys on the edge of defeat and the Aussie native had her
eyes on the second round. Reading the serve of Keys helped Konta get head at
times setting up good ball placement on the returns. A long ball from Keys gave
Konta a chance but a winner negated match point forcing deuce. She didn’t let
that bother her fighting for the AD point which she achieved before winning the
game and the match.
It took two hours and seven minutes to complete the big win
for her new season where she averaged 72 percent on the serve despite having
six double faults when it was all over. “It was my first match in quite a while
so I’m really to have had such a competitive match against such a great player,”
Konta said during her on court interview. “It was a tough first round for both
of us and Madison is a really good player so I feel lucky to get to play her
and have a really good match.”
She’s a great player,” Konta said about Ajla Tomljanovic who
she will face in the second round. “I know she hasn’t played as much as she’s
wanted to so it’ll be a tough match and its early in the season so everyone is
still finding their bearings.”
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