By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, March 10, 2017
In a battle of British Fed Cup teammates, Johanna Konta conquered Heather Watson, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the Indian Wells third round.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Fed Cup teammates and sometime practice partners Johanna Konta and Heather Watson squared off in a British battle on BNP Paribas Open stadium court.
Facing her friend for the first time in a WTA-level match, Konta withstood some late jitters and benevolence denying Watson, 6-4, 6-4, to advance to the Indian Wells third round.
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"It was tricky," Konta told Tennis Channel's Jon Wertheim afterward. "It’s never easy playing someone from your home country... We acutally spend a lot of time together so to be on the court together, it was a different dynamic."
No. 10-seeded Elina Svitolina was pushed to the edge before subduing Qiang Wang, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), in a two-hour, 28-minute struggle. Svitolina overcame eight double faults setting up a third-round match with Daria Gavrilova.
The 24th-seeded Gavrilova defeated Yanina Wickmayer, 6-2, 7-6 (5).
Playing her first match since bowing to Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarterfinals, Konta shook off the rust and a two-game deficit reeling off 11 of the next 14 games to build a 6-4, 5-1 lead before Watson staged a mini uprising.
Konta raised her record to 13-2 in advancing to a third-round clash with either 21st-seeded Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia or lucky loser Evgeniya Rodina.
Fresh off a three-set win over Nicole Gibbs in the opening round, Watson was sharper at the start. She clipped the baseline a couple of times taking a running backhand early to earn double break point. Konta saved both, but when Watson bolted a forehand strike down the line she had a third break point. A floated error from Konta gave Watson the break and a 2-0 lead.
Untimely double faults cost Watson in the fourth game. Konta exploited two double faults to back break then deposited a forehand drive volley into the corner leveling, 2-all.
Pressure in the seventh game produced the service crack. The British No. 1 converted her fourth break point on a sharp-angled forehand volley breaking for 4-3. Undeterred, Watson broke back at love.
Picking a deep return up off her shoelaces, Watson swept a backhand winner for game point, but clanked her fourth double fault. Service issues proved costly as Konta cranked a deep return earning the third straight break for 5-4. By then Konta was finding her groove and controlling the center of the court in baseline rallies.
Drilling a diagonal backhand winner, Konta served out the 49-minute set at love reeling off six straight points to close.
Coach Pat Harrison came out and encouraged Watson to keep her feet moving, accelerate through her shots and hit the body serve more often. “Keep working, know that everything positive comes from good feet,” Harrison said.
Spewing her sixth double fault Watson dropped serve to open the second set. Konta quickly consolidated at love.
After another coaching visit from Harrison, who urged Watson to step in when she could to take Konta’s drives on the rise, the world No. 108 unraveled. Two more double faults drove her total to nine and when Watson dropped serve again, falling behind 1-4, she bounced her Babolat racquet off the court in frustration.
Watson finally found her serve near the finish line jabbing an ace down the middle to hold for 2-5.
Closure came with complications as Konta spit up two double faults and surrendered serve in the eighth game.
"I think it’s more of a matter of external circumstances," Konta said of the stress. "I don’t believe either of us would put more pressure on ourselves, it’s more expectations from other people around us.
"I think both of us did the best job possible today. I don’t think both of us played our best tennis out there, but it’s tricky in those condtions. I think we both did the best we could today."
The 24-year-old Watson, who was on the verge of elimination 15 minutes earlier, was recharged. She snaked a twisting 100 mph ace down the middle—sealing her second straight service game with an ace—closing to 4-5.
This time, it was Konta’s coach, Wim Fissette, who came out and kept his advice simple.
“Serve smart,” Fissette said. “More forehand and body (serves) and used your kick (serve). Trust in every shot, ball by ball.”
Serving for the match again, Konta was in a love-30 hole but buckled down responding with four consecutive points.
Watson decelerated on a final forehand sticking the ball into the net and spiking her racquet again to end it.