13 August 2019

Konta dumped out of Cincinnati Open in first round

Johanna Konta crashed out of the Cincinnati Open in the first round after she was beaten by Swedish qualifier Rebecca Petersen.

The British number one lost 6-3 3-6 7-5 in a gruelling match that lasted two hours and 36 minutes.

After losing the first three games which cost her the first set, Konta battled back in the second set and got her rewards when she broke Petersen at 3-2 to level things up.

Then, in a frenetic final set which saw the pair drop their serve in three out of the first four games, Konta was broken at 6-5 in a thrilling finale as Petersen produced a shock upset.

It is the second time in as many weeks that the French Open semi-finalist has been beaten in the first round of a tournament by lower ranked opposition following her defeat to Sofia Kenin in the Rogers Cup.

She is still yet to register a win since beating Petra Kvitova in the last 16 at Wimbledon on July 7.

Elsewhere in the first round in Ohio, Maria Sharapova beat Alison Riske 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to set up a huge clash with former world number one Ashleigh Barty.

And Venus Williams picked up her first win since she played in Birmingham in June as she swatted aside fellow American Lauren Davis 7-5 6-2.

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