IF ever there was an example of just how brutal grand slam tennis can be then Jo Konta provided it last night when the Briton suffered an alarming health scare in her second-round match at the US Open.
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And while she lost the second set, she recovered in staggering fashion against a clearly rattled Tsvetana Pironkova to win 6-2 5-7 6-2.
The game, which went on for over two and a half hours, was interrupted twice as Konta had to receive medical assistance.
However, she was comprehensively outplayed in the first set by Konta, whose confidence seems to grow every time she steps on the courts at the US Open.
“What was frustrating for me was what happened after that, the toilet break”.
But, after a further medical delay, she reasserted her control of the match, breaking Pironkova at the first opportunity and then sealing her progress 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, setting up a third round encounter with Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic.
But she added: “It didn’t work out for me but these are the rules”. I don’t know if anyone’s had a panic attack but that’s basically what it feels like. Konta said afterward she was having trouble breathing, was “hyperventilating” and her “heart rate spiked”.
The umpire came to her assistance, brought a towel for her to lie on, and ice was draped around her shoulders, across her body, and rubbed on her limbs.
“A lot of good things today”, Edmund said courtside after winning 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 – and before he had heard that Isner had beaten the Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis in four sets on Louis Armstrong.
The world number 14 had eased through the first set, via three breaks of serve, but was less convincing in the second as her physical problems began to develop. “It was unfortunate. I had my momentum going, I was getting back in the match”.
Konta, who this time previous year was ranked 97th in the world, has had an extraordinary 12 months and at the start of August she had risen to a career high of 13 in the WTA rankings.
Konta dropped to her knees late in the second set and began breathing erratically and required immediate treatment due to the intense heat and humidity in NY. “I think all athletes kind of play a very fine line with that”.
Konta then took a lengthy toilet break between sets and by the time she returned, one point had been played in roughly 25 minutes. Instead, Konta kept calm, took her time, and adjusted her tactics to shorten the points. She pressed them against her body and breathed heavily.
“I m definitely not the first person to have these sort of struggles on court”, she said. “I’m pleased the way I have gone about it, not dropping a set”.
“I don’t think they should be used that way”.
Fans murmured with concern in the stands and her opponent stood next to her chair, unsure what to do.
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Pironkova appeared slightly bemused at the finish and her handshake with Konta was notably brief. I did the best I could with the cards that I had.
