By Ros Satar
- Anastasija Sevastova def. Johanna Konta [13]
- Finishes a gruelling US Swing with her first title and the Olympics thown in for good measure
NEW YORK, USA – A flat Johanna Konta was outplayed in the cavernous Arthur Ashe stadium, as the British No. 1 bowed out in the fourth round to Anastasija Sevastova.
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The high hopes for both British No. 1s into the fourth round fluttered to a halt as unseeded Sevastova downed Konta in straight sets.
It was an uncharacteristic slew of poor serving and errors from the Brit, which saw her struggle to find her range while Sevastova eased her way into a 3-0 lead. As it was, Konta had to save three break points to stop it from being a double break, as she started to work her way back into the match.
It was a tense affair as Sevastova at times looked like the emotions would get the better of her, as Konta broke back to get things back on serve, before three successive breaks of serve at the tail end of the set.
Konta had even saved set point along the way before being broken to give the Latvian the advantage.
The second started in the same way, with Konta losing her opening serve before striking back in a set that would be littered with breaks. Three in a row still gave the edge to Sevastova but once more Konta pushed her hard.
Sevastova served for the match at 5-3, but Konta saved the match point and broke, to the increasing frustration (and by the looks of it, utter devastation) of Sevastova, who saw a second match point go begging as Konta managed a rare hold.
It is always easier, however to break for the borders and third time was the charm as Sevastova broke for a place in the US Open quarter-finals.
To Konta’s credit, she acknowledged in her interviews to British Eurosport that Sevastova had outplayed her, and in keeping with her practice of refusing to live or die by her results – she has a lot to be hapy with in this US (and Brazilian) hard court swing.
She won her first WTA title in Stanford, she reached the Olympic quarter-final, and she defended her points from last year to help consolidate her rise to just outside the Top 10. Remember just this time last year she had played her way through qualifying before losing to Petra Kvitova at the same stage.
It is, no doubt a disappointment that she will not be joining Andy Murray in the second week, but on balance, with the Asian swing to come there will be more chances to try and push for a place in the Top 10 and finish the year on a charge.
Sevastova will face Caroline Wozniacki in the quarter-finals after she beat eighth seed Madison Keys in straight sets.
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