Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Resurgent Johanna Konta beats Elise Mertens and makes a good first impression on potential new coach

Stan Wawrinka's coach was watching on and is working with Konta on a trial basis

Tuesday 16 October 2018 13:29 BST
Comments
Johann Konta beat Elise Mertens 6-3 7-5 in the first round of the Kremlin Cup
Johann Konta beat Elise Mertens 6-3 7-5 in the first round of the Kremlin Cup

Johanna Konta made an excellent first impression for prospective coach Dimitri Zavialoff by defeating Elise Mertens in the opening round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

The British number one split from Michael Joyce last week after a disappointing first season together and is working with Frenchman Zavialoff, long-time coach of Stan Wawrinka, on a trial basis at her final tournament of the season.

Konta has looked low on confidence for much of 2018, with her ranking tumbling to 44, but this performance was reminiscent of the top-10 player she was for the past two seasons as she saw off seventh seed Mertens 6-3 7-5.

Johanna Konta punished her opponent’s second serve

The victory was only Konta’s fifth over a top-20 opponent all season and was all the more impressive given the high-quality nature of the contest.

The British number one was particularly effective on Mertens’ second serve, winning 20 of 29 points overall and breaking the Belgian, who hit nine aces, four times.

Konta only faced two break points herself and one of the most encouraging aspects of the match was the way she withstood pressure after getting an early break in the opening set and then again in the second.

Mertens’ only success on Konta’s serve came in the opening game of the second set but the British player recovered the break to make it 4-4 and then broke again in the final game.

She will face either Australian Daria Gavrilova or lucky loser Vitalia Diatchenko in the second round.

PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in