Johanna Konta’s last tournament was the Nottingham Open in June, where she defeated Zhang Shuai from China in the final
The British number one Johanna Konta fought her way back after a setdown, defeating third-placed Elina Svitolina and reaching the third round of the Canadian Open.
Svitolina looked like she won the first set in just 38 minutes.
But Konta showed remarkable resilience, winning eight out of nine games to win the second set and making a double break in the playoff on their way to a 3-6 6-3 6-2 win over the Ukrainian.
She meets the American Coco Gauff in the round of 16.
The win was Konta’s first victory over Svitolina, number five in the world and third in the Olympics.
The result and performance were all the more remarkable when Konta played in their first tournament since the Nottingham Open in early June.
She retired from Wimbledon later that month when a member of her coaching team tested positive for Covid-19, and then retired from the Tokyo Olympics after contracting the virus herself.
“It was definitely not an easy game. I have never beaten them in my career so this was a huge win for me personally,” said Konta WTAtennis.com.
“She’s probably the toughest player for me on the tour so I’m very happy with myself.”
Konta, 30, is also looking for a first win against Gauff, 17, after losing to the teenager at the French Open last year.
Gauff was on the pitch just 22 minutes after Russian Anastasia Potapova was knocked out 5-0 with an injury.
The top seed Aryna Sabalenka survived a difficult opening round against the American Sloane Stephens and came back 4-1 in the decisive set.
“It was a tough game and she played so well. She pushed me like crazy in this game and I don’t know exactly how I won this,” said Belarusian Sabalenka after the game.
“I was already in the locker room thinking what would happen next – doubles here, planning for the next few weeks. I don’t know if that made me chilled and I just played and thought of nothing else.” . “
She meets Canadian wildcard Rebecca Marino, who reached a career high as world number 38 in 2011, before leaving the tour two years later after struggling with depression for six years.
“I can’t underestimate myself, I have to get up and do my best. If I play my game, I have a chance with all of these girls,” said Marino.
Simona Halep has been recovering from a calf injury since May
The return of two-time champion Simona Halep to the WTA tour after an injury ended in a loss to American Danielle Collins, who currently has a winning streak of 12 games.
Halep played for the first time since retiring in Rome with a calf injury that forced her to withdraw from the French Open and prevented her from defending her Wimbledon title.
“It was a great game, especially after a few months off, I played really well and I’m happy with everything,” said Halep from Romania.
“After three months it’s hard to play three hours at a high level with someone who has won a lot of games.”
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