By Chris Oddo | Wednesday July 5, 2017
The most heated battle of the first week of Wimbledon ended with a tender, emotional moment. Johanna Konta and Donna Vekic ran the emotional gamut on Day 3, trading clutch shots, splintered serves and momentum for three hours and 10 minutes until Konta finally converted her second match point to seal a 7-6(4), 4-6, 10-8 victory over the Croatian.
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"[It was] definitely one of the most epic matches I have been a part of," Konta told reporters after the match. "I think both myself and Donna played very well. I think it was one of those matches where, yeah, it was going to just be decided at the very last minute."
The compelling affair was a reprisal of the pair’s Nottingham final from three weeks ago. That tilt was also played at a gallop, with both players executing attacking tennis until Konta finally yielded to Vekic, who claimed her first title in over three years at the Aegon International.
There was no let-up in the 21-year-old Croatian’s form at Wimbledon. She rolled past Natalia Vikhlyantseva in the first round and traded punches with Konta brilliantly on a picture-perfect afternoon in London, in front of an enthusiastic Centre Court crowd.
Fans may have come with defending champ Andy Murray on their mind (his second-rounder with Dustin Brown was the second-half of a British double-billing on Centre Court) but many will no doubt go home reflecting on Konta’s magical performance, one that was a long time coming and by far her best at SW19 to date.
After splitting the first two sets, both players served brilliantly in a back-and-forth game of chicken that eventually saw Konta break through after saving a break point at 6-6 and another at 8-8.
With tension mounting, Vekic cracked an ace that painted the line to save a match point at 8-9, but a Konta forehand winner opened the door for a second match point, which she converted when Vekic netted a forehand.
After briefly soaking in the moment Konta showed her true colors by heading to the net to console Vekic in an act of genuine sportsmanship. It was the cherry on top of a perfect summer fizz.
"I think after such a battle, you kind of feel both your own and her emotions, because there wasn't much separating us," Konta said. "It was more of a sense of kind of congratulating her and us for the battle that we presented on Centre Court, which was, I think, was a great atmosphere to be a part of. And then also just to understand also what she was feeling, because as players, we have all been in that position, as well."
Konta advances to face Maria Sakkari of Greece in the third round. She improves to 3-5 lifetime at Wimbledon and moves into the round of 32 at SW19 for the first time.
More to follow….