Johanna Konta, shortly to be installed as Britain’s No1, continued her fine recent form against Victoria Azarenka in the second round of the Wuhan Open in China. Konta dominated the injury-hit former world No1 and two-times Australian Open champion from the start and progressed when her opponent retired while 6-4, 1-0 behind.
Konta, the current world No66 who will rise above Heather Watson in next week’s rankings, was rarely troubled by Azarenka, who is now ranked No23 following a couple of years beset by foot injuries.
The Briton broke her opponent in the first game and after doggedly holding her serve in the fourth added a second break before taking the opening set 6-4.
The Belarusian then received treatment before the second set and emerged with heavy strapping to her left thigh. Her movement was laboured as she limped to the service line and she barely moved to meet Konta’s returns before quickly being broken to love. Shortly afterwards she admitted defeat in the latest setback of a frustrating 2015 campaign.
After the match, Konta said: “I was happy with the things that I was able to control. I’m not in control of how she’s feeling and what she’s going to do but I can control how I react to things, and I thought I did quite well with that.”
Victory means Konta has now won 20 of her last 21 matches since losing to Maria Sharapova in the first round at Wimbledon in June.
Elsewhere in Tuesday’s second round matches, Venus Williams became only the seventh player to reach 700 career wins in beating Germany’s Julia Görges 6-4, 6-3, while Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova came back from a set down to complete a 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-6) victory over the world No11, Caroline Wozniacki.
Ana Ivanovic of Serbia cruised to a quickfire 6-0, 6-3 win over the American Madison Brengle, while Germany’s Angelique Kerber beat Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Belinda Bencic, however, was another retirement through a leg injury, dropping out after losing the first set 6-2 to Italy’s Camila Giorgi.
