Johanna Konta triumphs against Heather Watson in Nottingham
Thursday 14 June 2018 16:55, UK
Johanna Konta won the all-British battle against Heather Watson to reach the quarter-finals of the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham.
It was the second time Britain's top two female players had met on the WTA Tour and, like their previous clash in Indian Wells last year, Konta came out on top.
The windy conditions made life difficult for both players but ultimately it was the extra power of Konta, who reached the final here 12 months ago, that made the difference in her 6-4 7-6 (7-5) victory.
Konta's confidence remains fragile but, aside from a host of errors at the net, this was a good performance from the 27-year-old.
Watson struggled to deal with the Konta return in particular, and a single break in the fifth game was enough to decide the opening set. Watson made the better start to the second and led 4-1 but Konta fought back and edged a close tie-break.
The fourth seed, who will face Slovenia's Dalila Jakupovic next, was the second British player to make it through to the last eight after an excellent win for wild card Katie Boulter over former US Open champion Sam Stosur.
The 21-year-old will play in a WTA Tour quarter-final for the first time following a 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 triumph and is set to break into the world's top 50.
We will return for more tennis coverage from the ATP Tour when we head to Germany for the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, live on Sky Sports Arena from 11am on Monday June 18.
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