By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, August 28, 2017
Johanna Konta, who arrived in New York as one of eight women with a shot at the world No. 1 ranking, was bounced out of the US Open first round by 78th-ranked Aleksandra Krunic.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Bouncing on her toes behind the baseline, Aleksandra Krunic poured herself into strong finishing kick to bounce Johanna Konta out of the US Open.
The 78th-ranked Krunic scored the biggest upset of opening day stunning Konta, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, denying the seventh-seeded Briton’s bid for the world No. 1 ranking.
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On a day in which Krunic was swinging freely, nothing came easy for Konta.
"I don't think I necessarily played my best tennis today, but my opponent also had something to say about that," Konta said. "She played very freely, I felt, and she moved incredibly well. She made it very tough for me to be able to get any easier points.
"So I think that's very much credit to her and how she was able to move on the court. I think she definitely played with not very many errors. Definitely less than me, I think. But I think overall, yeah, I think just the level of tennis of hers was just better today."
Konta suffered her second Grand Slam opening-round exit this season following a three-set loss to 109th-ranked Su-Wei Hsieh in the French Open first round.
"I think the similarities are that I did lose both matches," Konta said. "However, the players are different. The surface is different. So I try not to draw too many comparisons between the two, but it's definitely not an easy loss to take. I would have liked to have involved her for much longer.
"I think it's also important to give credit where it's due, and that's due to how my opponent played and also give credit to the level of tennis in general and how many girls are able to play well."
It is Krunic’s second career Top 10 victory and sent her into a joyous celebration on Grandstand.
Wimbledon semifinalist Konta arrived in New York as one of eight women with a shot to depart Flushing Meadows with the title and world No. 1 ranking. But the Miami Open champion lost the range on her forehand at crunch time and could not hit through a quick-footed opponent, who countered shrewdly with sharp angles.
The emotional energy Konta exerted advancing to the Wimbledon final four has left her looking a little drained during the North American summer hard-court season. Konta fell to 2-3 since Wimbledon enduring her second opening-round exit in her last three tournaments.
Though Krunic failed to qualify at the first three Grand Slam tournaments of the season, the 5'4" counterpuncher showed her accuracy on the run dispatching two Grand Slam champions in Cincinnati a row—defeating 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in the final round of qualifying then upsetting reigning Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko in her Cincinnati opener.
there’s something about New York that brings out the feistiness in Krunic.
Covering the court with determination, Krunic repelled nearly everything her harder-hitting opponent threw at her over the final two sets and showed no trace of nerves winning three of the final four games.
The victory comes almost three years to the day after the then 145th-ranked qualifier ran two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova right out of the US Open with a 6-4, 6-4 third-round win en route to her lone Grand Slam round of 16 appearance.
The 24-year-old Belgrade baseliner will play Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round. Tomljanovic denied five of six break points subduing Swede Johanna Larsson, 7-5, 6-4.
Catching Konta flat-footed at net, Krunic cracked a crosscourt backhand pass to help carve out the break for a 4-3 lead in the decider.
Typically disciplined in baseline exchanges, Konta tightened up down the stretch losing the range on her forehand and trying to force the issue with her backhand down the line.
Composure helped Krunic close. She barely looked stress when she stepped up to the line to serve for her first Grand Slam second round appearance since a third-round run to the 2016 Wimbledon.
In a show of jitters, Konta tried to dislodge Krunic from the baseline with a drop shot, but the Serbian sped up to it quickly and deposited a backhand winner. Krunic bled one final error from the seventh seed closing in two hours, 17 minutes.