Johanna Konta wins in straight sets at Wimbledon
British No 1 sets up second-round meeting with Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia
Tuesday 3 July 2018 18:55, UK
Johanna Konta came through a tough opening examination against Natalia Vikhlyantseva to take her place in the second round at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
British No 1 Konta was the early centre of attention as the home star attempted to put a disappointing first half of the year behind her.
She made a positive start to her Wimbledon campaign by seeing off Vikhlyantseva, the world No 106 from Russia, 7-5 7-6 (9-7) on Court Two.
The 22nd seed saved two set points at 4-5 and then required six match points to come through a sticky second set against the impressive 21-year-old and close out the match.
Konta, who last year became the first British woman to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals since 1978 before losing to Venus Williams, said: "First rounds are always tricky," she said. "Both players are trying to find their footing.
"I'm playing this championship independent of what happened last year. Last year gave me memories and valuable experience, but I'm older and a little wiser."
Konta will next face Dominika Cibulkova who put her seedings disappointment behind her by beating Alize Cornet
The Slovakian is ranked 32 in the world, usually enough to be seeded at a Grand Slam, but missed out due to Wimbledon's decision to hand a seed to Serena Williams.
She strongly contested the decision but let her tennis do the talking against the Frenchwoman, winning 7-6 (7-4) 6-1.
Katie Boulter earned her first victory at a Grand Slam, winning 6-4 5-7 6-4 against Cepede Royg.
There was disappointment for another British woman, however, as wildcard entrant Naomi Broady was beaten by defending champion Garbine Muguruza.
The Spaniard cruised through the first set but came up against fiercer resistance in the second set, although she eventually prevailed 6-2 7-5.
Great Britain's No 7 Gabriella Taylor also crashed out despite a spirited performance against former-finalist Eugenie Bouchard.
Taylor claimed the second set but it was the Canadian, who is unseeded this year, who battled to a 6-0 4-6 6-3 win over at Court 14.
We have Wimbledon covered from all angles via our website skysports.com/tennis then click through to our dedicated section skysports.com/tennis/wimbledon. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.
Our next tennis action comes from the German Open in Hamburg. Watch the action live on Sky Sports Arena from Monday, July 23 from 10am.
Never miss the big kick-off or have to deal with interrupted games or low-quality streams with a NOW TV Sky Sports Pass this summer. You'll get exclusive coverage of the 147th Open from Carnoustie, The Ryder Cup, ATP Tour, World Darts Matchplay, and loads more starting from just £7.99. No contract.
