Johanna Konta beaten by Garbine Muguruza in Australian Open
British No 1 suffers 4-6 7-6 5-7 defeat to Spanish star who keeps hopes of third Grand Slam title alive
Thursday 17 January 2019 19:17, UK
Johanna Konta became the final Briton to depart the Australian Open but only after an epic three-set defeat to Garbine Murguruza that finished at 3.12am local time.
Having been slated for day four in Melbourne, the action actually got under way on day five, with their 12.30am start local time the latest in Australian Open history - and, as the clock went beyond 3am, it was the Spaniard who finally emerged triumphant.
Konta's defeat now means all eight British players who entered the singles events at the year's opening major have crashed out before the third round, but none depart with as much credit as her.
"It wasn't ideal for anyone," said Konta. "I don't think it's ideal for anyone to do any physical activity when it's bedtime, but it is what it is and both of us were in the same boat.
"I think it's more important to focus on the level of the match we had because it was actually a very good match. It was unfortunate that more people couldn't enjoy it during the day."
The British No 1 endured a miserable 2018 and slipped from fourth to 38th in the world rankings but she will take as much from defeat to the two-time Grand Slam champion as she did from her run to the semi-finals in Melbourne in 2016.
The pair traded blows for almost three hours and Konta's groundstrokes looked to be in good order early in her partnership with new coach Dimitri Zavialoff, so there are positives to take into the rest of the year.
"I think I played a great match and a lot to do with that is the chemistry between the two players and the way two game styles match up," added Konta.
"I look to take every opportunity to learn from every single match. I would have liked to have won and learned but it didn't go my way."
Muguruza will next face Timea Bacsinszky for a place in the last 16 after the Swiss star backed up her first-round win against 10th-seed Daria Kasatkina with a straight-sets triumph over qualifier Natalia Vikhlyantseva.
Konta prevailed in more than three-and-a-half hours the last time the pair met in New York and, when they took to the court in the early hours of Friday morning, the signs were there for more of the same - although they were to fall some way short of the record 4.33am finish of Marcos Baghdatis and Lleyton Hewitt in 2008.
The match followed a day of gruelling contests at Margaret Court Arena and only a sparse crowd remained when they eventually emerged onto the court past midnight, but those who did stay were richly rewarded
There was little between the players throughout, although Konta was broken in the opener, but the 27-year-old fought back and on more than one occasion threatened to break serve, only to see her opponent stand firm and claim the first set.
The quality went up a gear in the second and Konta, having saved two break points at 4-4, claimed the tie-break with a dominant display of hitting that was sealed with a successful challenge to level the contest.
The third set proved equally dramatic and it was not down to tiredness, but formidable ball-striking when Muguruza finally found the decisive breakthrough in the 12th game of the final set, breaking serve to book her third-round place.
We have the Australian Open covered from all angles via our website skysports.com/tennis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.
