Johanna Konta in the first round of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, WTA San Jose 2018
Johanna Konta in the first round of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, WTA San Jose 2018 | Anita Stahl

Konta looks to back up Serena win with quick turnaround, faces Kenin in San Jose second round

By Ros Satar

  • Johanna Konta stunned Serena Williams in the first round 6-1 6-0
  • Faces Sofia Kenin | First meeting
SAN JOSÉ, USA – After a stunning first round win over Serena Williams, can Johanna Konta kick on with a first match-up against Sofia Kenin.

 

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READ MORE | Konta stuns Serena Williams: ‘Played the player, not her achievements’

Konta stuns Serena Williams: ‘Played the player, not her achievements’

 

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Konta v Kenin | First meeting

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We could be in for an entertaining encounter. In the past few months, British No. 1 Johanna Konta will have to figure out the game style of Sofia Kenin on the fly. It certainly has been a challenging time for the Brit, and in the past where she has started well, she has floundered in the face of a player hitting free.

Kenin used to lack a killer shot, but she has added a bit more weight to her groundstrokes to match her feisty fist-pumping and roars!

Expect the pair to be slugging it out from the back of the court, and Konta will have to mx things up a bit – she has looked to improve her finesse coming forward more but at its heart, her game still very much revolves around her serve.

Against Serena Williams, Konta was at her aggressive best, her serve was firing and everything else about her game slots into place. She will need to have the same approach and figure out Kenin as she goes.

In 2016 we also saw her fighting spirit, and that had faded a little if she ran out of ideas last summer and at the start of this year. She will need more of that fighting spirit if she wants to keep that upward trajectory up the rankings going.

Prediction: Konta in three sets.