By Chris Oddo | Thursday June 14, 2018
Johanna Konta reached her first quarterfinal since January with a takedown of compatriot Heather Watson at the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham.
Photo Source: Matthew Stockman/Getty
Johanna Konta rolled into her first quarterfinal since January with a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over compatriot Heather Watson at the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham.
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It’s been a challenging campaign for World No.22 Konta. She improved her record to 13-11 on the season, which doesn’t compare favorably with her 36-11 record from 2017. But the 27-year-old loves the grass and has now won two matches in a row for the second time in two months.
She saved three of four break points and defeated Watson for the third time in three meeting in one hour and 39 minutes.
Top-seeded Ashleigh Barty and defending champion Donna Vekic also moved into the last eight on Thursday in Nottingham. Barty has now reached the quarters at Nottingham three years running. She improved to 10-5 lifetime on grass at the WTA-level—she lost to Konta in the quarterfinals at Nottingham last season and Karolina Pliskova in 2016.
Vekic defeated Vera Lapko, 6-2, 7-6(6). The Croatian won this title as the World No.70 last season, defeating Konta in the final. She has won seven straight at the venue.
The upset of the day was caused by Great Britain’s Katie Boulter, who defeated Sam Stosur to reach her first WTA quarterfinal. Boulter, who defeated Stosur 7-6(6), 6-1, had never won a tour-level match prior to this week.
Four of this weekend’s quarterfinalists at Nottingham are playing their first WTA quarterfinal on grass—Mihaela Buzarnescu, Boulter, Naomi Osaka and Dalili Jakupovic.