SM
Bayern vs. Dortmund: 10 hrs 3 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Johanna Konta storms to victory in Melbourne

:Headline: Result: Johanna Konta storms to victory in Melbourne: ID:433346: from db_amp
And Heather Watson says she is "not putting a lot of pressure on myself" ahead of the Grampians Trophy after emerging from hotel quarantine.

Britain's Johanna Konta and Katie Boulter had strong wins in Melbourne as the countdown to the Australian Open continues.

Fifth seed Konta defeated Bernarda Pera 6-2 6-3 in 81 minutes in the second round of the Gippsland Trophy at Melbourne Park, with the British number one crucially saving three break points on her way to victory.

The 63rd-ranked American struggled with her serve throughout and double-faulted six times before being broken for match point, while Konta got into a rhythm early as she continues her recovery from a knee problem.

Boulter, ranked down at 371 after a lengthy spell out with a back injury in 2019 and playing at just her second WTA event in close to two years, managed to stun American teenager Coco Gauff 3-6 7-5 6-2.

The 24-year-old began her season the day before with a dominant victory against 107th-ranked Russian Anna Kalinskaya, but had to battle hard to defeat Gauff, with the fourteenth-seeded 16-year-old double-faulting three times in the final game.

Meanwhile, Heather Watson said she was "not putting a lot of pressure on myself" ahead of the Grampians Trophy, which begins on Wednesday in Melbourne.

The world number 58 left hotel quarantine on Friday and told reporters she was "super excited" to begin training on actual courts but was taking a considered approach to the warm-up tournament.

"It's obviously unusual circumstances, so I'm just, it will be interesting to see how my body is tomorrow, just see how it goes, but I'm not really putting a lot of pressure on myself for this next tournament," she said in comments carried by Tennis Australia

"And, yeah, like I said, it's a really unique situation, so I've just got to sort of play it by ear, play it day by day."

It comes after Bianca Andreescu withdrew from the tournament to focus on the Australian Open, which marks her first WTA match in more than a year.

Dan Evans, seeded eighth in the Murray Open, will begin his campaign in Melbourne in the second round on Wednesday after he received a bye and will face Portugal's Pedro Sousa.

amp_article__433346 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2021-02-06 16:35:02:
html db last update - 2021-03-11 07:23:25 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .