Konta beats Kvitova to reach Wimbledon quarter finals
Jo Konta took on twice champion Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon and secured a three-set victory which put her in the quarter-finals.
The 4-6 6-2 6-4 win over the Czech had been a brutal affair, and in the end only Konta had been able to produce sufficient subtlety with which to temper the low-trajectory rockets which had been a feature for both players throughout the match.
For the purists, rallies were few and far between. But for the thrill-seekers, winners exploded repeatedly like a succession of fireworks in a night sky.
Indeed, the used tennis balls from this match, sold as souvenirs to the public, should come with a hefty discount - if there is anything left of them.
Like a Ford Escort stuck in high gear, sixth-seeded Kvitova had no change of pace, little nuance or subtlety, just a roaring engine battering the ball as hard as she could muster.
Even the sport's ubiquitous topspin was only an occasional visitor as the Czech opened her grip and slammed each ball flat and hard - for a clean winner or a shot flying out the back.
For her part, 19th seed Konta -- herself no stranger to the more brutal forms of baseline play -- looked to fight firepower with firepower right from the off.
It was almost a case of who or what would crack first, a player's nerve or a racket's frame as shot after shot was slammed away for a winner and the eerie sonics echoed around Centre Court.
Published: by Radio NewsHub