US Open: Johanna Konta throws away final-set lead

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Johanna Konta

Britain's Johanna Konta squandered a superb opportunity to reach the third round of the US Open, losing to Olga Govortsova of Belarus despite being 5-2 ahead in the deciding set.

The 21-year-old looked on course to join compatriot Laura Robson in round three but was beaten 2-6 6-2 7-5.

Konta twice failed to serve out the match and went on to lose the last five games of the third set.

"There's a lot of positives from this tournament for me," said Konta.

The Australia-born world number 203, who switched allegiance to Britain in May, would have met sixth seed Angelique Kerber had she not wobbled as the finishing line approached.

Konta has nevertheless enjoyed a fruitful tournament, securing the first win of her career at Grand Slam level when she beat Hungarian Timea Babos in the first round.

"My whole trip to the US has been quite full on," said Konta, who came through qualifying. "I've played a lot of matches, which is a good thing. Obviously I would have liked to have made it one more."

Konta praised Govortsova, adding: "I believe she raised her level and I unfortunately didn't. I wasn't moving as well as I would have liked and I wasn't serving as well as I would have liked, but credit to her. She played a very solid five games.

"I do not feel, coming off the court, that I let it go. I have to improve from every match, win or lose.

"But it's definitely positive. I had three very tough rounds in qualifying and this was my first Grand Slam qualifying event ever. Wimbledon was my first Grand Slam, so I do think I'm heading in the right direction and picking up on things quickly."

Konta seemed unfazed at facing an opponent ranked 136 places above her in the world rankings, racing to a 4-0 lead in the opening set and comfortably wrapping it up.

A composed Govortsova fought back in the second, but looked in trouble once again when Konta took a 3-0 lead in the deciding set thanks to two double-faults from her opponent.

Konta broke again to earn the opportunity to serve for the match. She could not close it out, however, as Govortsova responded by twice breaking the Briton's serve to seal victory.

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  • Laura Robson may not have been born in Britain but she is as British as an afternoon cream tea. Konta however only wants the LTA funding which she wouldn't have got had she stayed in Austrailia, so couldn't care less about her results.

  • Konta should see this as a missed opportunity not as a good result. It will be better for her to be down about this defeat in the long run because it will make her more of a fighter and stronger to avoid defeat in future.

  • Govortsova is ranked 67 in the world while Konta is ranked 203.

    Johanna won 4 matches at the US Open, 3 in qualifying (the only Brit to do so) & a first round match. She nearly won her second round match too but was beaten after getting herself into a "winning" position.

    The BBC calls it "throwing away" the lead while Konta says her opponent upped her game.

  • ''Konta broke once again to earn the opportunity to serve for the match. She could not close it out, however,'
    +++
    Cough , cough, splutter, splutter, (said with a questioning raising intonation.)

  • If nothing else, the way that Joanna Konta snatched defeat from the jaws of victory surely proves that she's a true Brit. A plucky performance.

  • Chris Tortise- Fair point, but why only now has she decided she is 'British'?

  • Can we stop celebrating "glorious defeat"? Yes, Konta should be pleased that she got through qualifying and won a match, but she still lost from a winning position. It is only when winning becomes more important than just "doing well" that athletes break through to the next level. I think Robson has this mind set, Murray too, but he now needs the next layer of belief if he is to win a slam

  • I'm not judging, but isn't it odd that only 1 of the top-5 British female tennis players was born in the U.K, and not one of them has parents from the U.K?

    Heather Watson - Guernsey (mother from Papua New Guinea)
    Anne Keothavong – England (Laotian parents)
    Elena Baltacha – Russia (Russian parents)
    Johanna Konta – Australia (Hungarian parents)
    Laura Robson – Australia (Australian parents)

  • Usually I disregard the "not a real Brit" rubbish, especially in relation to people like Mo Farah, Laura Robson and Bradley Wiggins who have been raised in Britain as children, used the English/British sporting academies, and consider themselves British. However, with Konta, I feel awkward referring to her as a 'Brit' when she's only just gained residency. I'm probably in the minority, though.

  • #13 It's apparently not the BBC's fault - the official US Open page gives exactly the same stats. If you want to criticise the BBC try to make it as accurate as possible please...

    Anyway, a shame that she lost from such a strong position but she's not the only one to have done so. Let's hope though that she takes something from this.

  • Match Stats table

    Something is definitely not quite right as Aces and Double Faults / Winners and Unforced Errors are exactly the same for both players!
    If the BBC wants to provide Stats please try to make them as accurate as possible please.

  • #9 - One of the requirements of obtaining British citizenship is that you have to have been resident in the country for a number of years. This, together with coming through the British coaching system makes Konta just as eligible to call herself British as Watson and Robson. Lets hope Johanna learns from this match and the three of them usher in a new golden era of womens tennis in this country.

  • Re: divineponytail. She applied for British citizenship years ago and and stuck it out until granted this year.

    Not sure why there's so much resistance to Konta being a Brit compared to Robson. Both had, essentially, the same route here. It's just that Robson's parents moved to Britain earlier than Konta's. Is that her fault?

    She says she loves being British - that should be enough.

  • Re: divineponytail - she moved to the UK in her early teens. How was she to know she wouldn't get funding at that point in her life?

  • Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory hurts a lot.

  • Apart from the Nationality issue, this is a poor piece of journalism. She played well, and nearly beat a player with a far higher ranking. Do we have to use pejorative words like 'squandered'? Why can't we just congratulate her.

    As if the journalist ever did anythingn worthwhile - except get a degree in English or Psychology.

  • @24 Adult? she moved here when she was 14.

    @27 she would have played under the Aussie flag whilst living in GB, not the same as representing Australia as until she gained GB citizenship what do you think she would have played as?

  • @30 Of course you can.

    If you go through their application process and fulfil all the requirements of Australian citizenship then you will be accepted and become an Australian citizen.

  • I hear there are some lovely beaches in Australia, Can I be an Australian?

  • It's not wrong to call Sergei Baltacha Russian, seeing as that is the country he was born in. Of course he now considers himself Ukrainian, nothing wrong in that either.

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