Johanna Konta moved impressively into the fourth round of the Australian Open with an impressive straight sets win over former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, 63 61.
Konta made light work of a match that many pundits had predicted as the toughest of the third round, by dominating the counter-puncher Wozniacki. The British No.1 never allowed the Dane to settle, forcing a break point in the opening game with a vicious backhand down the line. Though Wozniacki saved on that occasion, it set the tempo for the rest of the match.
Both women held for three-all, before Konta took complete control, earning the first break of the match and then holding to fifteen for a strong lead. Konta then pressed as Wozniacki served to stay in the set, with a forehand return winner off a Wozniacki second serve helping the Briton to fifteen-thirty. Konta then used her equally powerful backhand to move to the net, finishing with an easy volley. An error off an attempted lob from Wozniacki then handed the set to the higher ranked player.
Any real hope that Wozniacki had of getting back into the match quickly evaporated in the first game of the second set, immediately handing a break to Konta with a double-fault. Konta the stormed to within a game of the fourth round, making it nine games in a row with another break and little trouble on serve.
Konta threatened the bagel set in the second by reaching love-thirty against Wozniacki at five-love. The seventeenth seed held on though, managing to finally get on the scoreboard in the second. Wozniacki then worked hard to deuce as Konta served for the match. Konta was not to be denied however, winning impressively in one hour and fifteen minutes.
The match was won in the baseline exchanges. Wozniacki is not known for a power game, instead known as a hard-working retriever, but was given even a glimmer of a hope in this match, as Konta bullied the former No.1, using both the forehand and backhand wings to full effect, also volleying effectively to keep the Dane off-balance throughout.
Konta’s fourth round opponent will be Ekaterina Makarova after she stunned sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova.
“Im very pleased it got very tricky towards the end both of us were not hitting the ball as cleanly as at the start! She’s famous for coming back in matches and making players work very hard against her so very pleased. You don’t really have much control over if you play two sets or three sets, every single player here is really good!“
