Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, China

[CR24] Venus Williams (USA) vs. [CR66] Johanna Konta (GBR)

Konta has been impressing us lately with her game.  She first came to my attention earlier this year at Eastbourne.  There she knocked out a top ten player, Ekaterina Makarova and future top ten player, Garbine Muguruza.  Although she lost to the eventual winner, Belinda Bencic, I liked what I saw.  Despite losing in the round of sixteen at the US Open to Petra Kvitova, she was just as impressive.  She once again showed her gritty determination at this tournament, proving that her notable wins were not accidental.  It was practically impossible for Konta to defeat Simona Halep yesterday.  She was down 1-5 and Halep served for the match; yet, somehow, Konta found a way to break the number two ranked player three consecutive times to win the match. Incredible!

Although she came very close today, there was no repeat victory from her heroic performance.  She won the second set and was up a break in the third; unfortunately, she was unable to hold on to the lead. Williams is also known for her determination and was prepared for Konta’s challenge. Despite losing the second set and going down a break, she did not panic. Years of experience in similar situations came to her rescue.  She trusted in her fitness and her game.  Perhaps she was just a tad fresher as well and Konta was probably depleted from yesterday’s demanding match. Nevertheless, they both played well and as a fan, that’s about all you can ask for in any match.  It was a hard-earned victory for Williams, who fought back to snatch the match from Konta, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.