Johanna Konta is out of the Australian Open. Her second-round game against Bernarda Pera ended in a shock defeat for the Brit as she went down and out 4-6, 5-7. Konta was seeded ninth and was fancied by many following her last two performances in Australia when she got through to the semi-finals and the quarter-finals in consecutive years.
Joanna Konta
It wasn't just her seeding that contributed to the surprise early exit; it was also the fact that she looked to be in excellent form when she beat Madison Brengle with ease in her opening match. But in her next game against Pera, it wasn't only the hot conditions here at Melbourne Park that led to her downfall; it was the inspired form of her opponent.
Pera's first grand slam win
Born in Croatia but now a nationalised US citizen, Bernarda Pera is currently only ranked 123 in world terms. Her highest-ever ranking to date was number 51 on the 3rd April 2017. The 25-year-old has accumulated eight singles titles and 14 doubles on the ITF circuit, but this was the first time that she had ever participated in a grand slam tournament and she didn't get off to an auspicious start.
It looked very much as if she was homeward bound having lost to the Swiss player, Viktorija Golubic, in the last round of qualifiers. But her luck was about to change as the 23-year-old Russian, Margarita Gasparyan, was forced to retire from the tournament.
Pera takes full advantage of her lucky break
Gasparyan has only recently returned to full fitness after a knee injury which kept her out of the games for 15 months. October 2107 saw her return to the game when she took part in the Kremlin Cup. It seemed she was back on the road to becoming a main contender once again. However, her injury bug returned here at the Australian Open when she was forced to retire with a shoulder injury.
Gasparyan's bad luck was Pera's good luck as the Croatian/American was given a lifeline following her defeat, by being awarded the now empty place. She grabbed hold of the chance with both hands, and it undoubtedly inspired her to make the best of her good fortune by beating Johanna Konta.
Konta's confidence takes another knock
Doing well on the world tennis tour is all about confidence, and right from the start, Pera put Konta on the back foot with a string of quality shots. With the British number one serving poorly and her backhand, normally her best weapon, letting her down, Pera took the first set six games to four.
With Konta's confidence still somewhat shaky after her recent run of 5 lost games on-the-trot at the end of last year, a badly judged drop shot with a virtually empty court in front of her, let Pera recover an early break. She then went on to break the Konta serve twice to end up taking the second set 7-5.
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