Johanna Konta wins opening match of Nature Valley International at Eastbourne
Sunday 23 June 2019 17:14, UK
Johanna Konta eased into the second round of the Nature Valley International at Eastbourne with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Dayana Yastremska.
Konta, seeded 14, enjoyed a double break in the first set against the 19-year-old from Ukraine and then crucially broke in the ninth game of the second set, allowing her to serve out the match.
The British No 1 will face Greece's Maria Sakkari in the next round.
Heather Watson, Katie Swan and Harriet Dart all crashed out in the first round, leaving Konta as the sole British representative.
Watson suffered a 7-5 6-2 defeat to Alize Cornet from France to leave her without a WTA main-draw win since September last year.
Swan was beaten 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 6-4 by China's Zhang Shuai, despite serving 13 aces, while Dart lost 3-6 6-4 6-2 to her Australian Open doubles partner from earlier this year in 16th-seed Anett Kontaveit.
In the men's tournament, British duo Paul Jubb and James Ward progressed through to the main draw.
In the second qualifying round, rising star Jubb overcame Russia's Andrey Rublev, a player ranked 498 places higher than the 19-year-old, 4-6 6-3 6-2.
Ward, meanwhile, needed just 50 minutes to see off American Denis Kudla 6-3 6-2.
Jubb faces another American in Taylor Fritz in the first round, in which third-seed Kyle Edmund has a bye, while Ward takes on fellow qualifier Thomas Fabbiano from Italy.
