Johanna Konta shrugs off on-court illness to surge into US Open third round
British No1 Johanna Konta recovered from collapsing on court with blurred vision and breathing issues to beat Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova and reach the third round of the US Open.
Konta, seeded a career-high 13th, was leading 6-2, 5-6, but facing set point, when she crouched down and appeared to hyper-ventilate. The 25-year-old also complained of an increased heart rate.
After returning to her chair, Sydney-born Konta told the doctor: “It felt like my whole body was going into shock.”
Following medical attention and a lengthy break, she lost the second set but surged to victory in a match-clinching third, dispatching her rival 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
Konta will now play Switzerland’s 24th seed Belinda Bencic in tomorrow’s third round.
Konta was not the only Briton to progress as Kyle Edmund beat American wildcard Ernesto Escobedo to make the third round of a grand slam for the first time in his career.
The 21-year-old Yorkshireman, who is ranked 84th in the world, followed his slaying of 13th seed Richard Gasquet with a 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 success over Escobedo and will now face either John Isner of the United States or Belgium’s Steve Darcis in the last 32.
Edmund insisted that stubbornness and grit were the most important factors in his victory.
“I’m very pleased, a lot of good things today,” he said. “I thought I played a much cleaner match, a lot of things went better for me against Gasquet. This was about toughing out more longer rallies. I made a few more errors, but you can’t be too tough on yourself.
“I thought every set I stayed tough, and when it counted towards the end I got the break.”