Johanna Konta's Australian Open adventure ends prematurely

In recent years, Konta has developed a reputation of bowing out at the first hurdle in one competition and winning the next and so on. Last year, she bowed out at the first hurdle at the French Open and at the US Open but in between that was a very strong performance at Wimbledon.
Konta’s Australian Open debacle was more ‘humiliating’ for a person of her stature. Not just because she was facing someone ranked 123 in the world but a Grand Slam debutante who was not expected to still be in the tournament after losing in the first qualifying round. As the journey continues, we expect more upsets to follow and if you want to stand a chance of winning big then betting on upsets is the way to go, simply visit NetBet Casino.

What went wrong?

Konta came into the match ranked as the 9th best female player in the world. From the start, it looked as if the match was between 9th and 10th ranked players as it was tightly contested. The match was end-to-end in the first set with Konta failing to dominate. Towards the end, Bernarda Pera, Konta’s opponent seemed to have gained much confidence and it could be seen in the way she served as the game went on. Konta went on to lose the first set 6-4 and the match took the same pattern in the second set with Konta losing again this time 7-5.

In her defence, one can say the Melbourne wind was Konta’s downfall. She clearly failed to deal with the windy conditions as she continuously botched simple smashes.

What’s happening to the stars?

It’s not just Konta who has found the going tough at the Australian Open. Fellow big-name players such as Garbine Muguruza, Petra Kvitova, Venus Williams, and Sloane Stephens have all suffered embarrassing defeats.

Petra Kvitova was guilty of letting her match with Andrea Petkov into a marathon that she eventually failed to control. Sloane Stephens and last year's finalist, Venus Williams, were just not up for it like other American stars, from the 10 American females who came to the Australian Open only one, Nicole Gibbs is still in the competition.

A combination of factors led to Muguruza’s defeat, first was the opponent, Taiwanese Hsieh Su-Wei who is synonymous for dumping the big names and second was the unfortunate injury she suffered in the first set.

Sharapova takes centre stage

As all the big names fall, one forgotten name is riding high. Maria Sharapova is doing her business quietly. Next, on her list of opponents is Angelique Kerber and if she can get over that line then the path to the Final opens up perfectly for her.