Johanna Konta continued her good early season form by booking her place in the Apia International Sydney quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Australian Daria Gavrilova. Konta 81 percent of points behind her first serve and only faced two break points in the match, which were both saved, as she based this victory behind a strong serving performance.
Konta breezes through the first set
Gavrilova started out the match by serving and was quickly up against it, with Konta immediately bringing up two break points. The first one was saved with a good Gavrilova forehand winner but Konta took the second one to immediately have the upper hand. Konta backed this up with a comfortable hold to 15 and Gavrilova got on the board in the next game with a hold to 15 of her own. The British number one was getting more and more comfortable and some excellent winners off big groundstrokes followed in the next game. Konta led 3-1 and was dominating the exchanges, Gavrilova was looking frustrated and struggling to find a way past the world number 10.
The fifth game started in the same vein, with Konta once again dominating the rallies and bringing up two more break points. Gavrilova saved both, with a big serve saving the second. On the first deuce, Konta produced a big cross-court forehand winner to bring up a third break point, where her big groundstrokes forced another Gavrilova error to clinch it. The World number 25 had a chance in the next game where she led 15-30, but Konta held firm and a hold to 30 brought up a 5-1 lead and the Australian was serving to stay in the first set. Konta produced a scintillating backhand cross-court winner to bring up 0-30 and had three set points on the first point. Gavrilova saved all three including two with aces to bring it back to Deuce. Konta produced an excellent lob winner to bring up another one, but Gavrilova aced again to save. Konta would bring up three more Set points which were all saved, but on the seventh deuce and her eighth set point, she would claim it to win the first set 6-1.
Photo Source: Getty Images/Brett Hemmings
Gavrilova resists but Konta closes out the match
Konta opened the second set by serving and Gavrilova's effort was increasing, but a clever second serve ace closed out a hold to 30. Gavrilova was growing increasingly frustrated and it was visibly showing, with a lot of wayward errors bringing up three break points and another error sealed the ultimately decisive break in the second set. Konta's level slipped slightly in the third game and a sloppy double fault brought up a break point for the Australian but she was able to save and hold after the first deuce for 3-0. Gavrilova got herself on the board in the third game, but had to save two more Konta break points first, but was ultimately able to hold for just the second time in the match on the second deuce.
Konta secured the fifth game with a comfortable hold to love. Gavrilova was starting to gain more confidence and hit a very good forehand winner off an excellently constructed point to lead 40-30 and was able to win the next point to clinch the game. Konta was in full flow by now and another comfortable hold to 15 brought her to within one game of the win at 5-2. Gavrilova shanked an overhead into to bring up 15-30 and was facing two match points at 15-40. The Australian was able to save both of these to bring up deuce but faced another which she was also able to save and was eventually able to hold after the fourth deuce. The Australian number one brought up just her second break point of the match at 30-40 but this was saved and Konta brought up her fifth match point, which Gavrilova was again able to save. An ace brought up the sixth match point which Konta was finally able to take to close out an excellent 6-1, 6-3 win over a tough opponent.
Johanna Konta will play Daria Kasatkina in the next round after the Russian shocked World number one Angelique Kerber 7-6, 6-2. The Brit will rise to world number nine with a victory over Kasatkina, overtaking Svetlana Kuznetsova after her loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-5, 6-3. Daria Gavrilova will now turn her focus to Melbourne and her home Grand Slam, the Australian Open where she'll be hoping to at least match her fourth round performance last year.