Konta downs Keys, but both see it as 'a win’ in competitive return

BRITISH No. 5 seed Johanna Konta marked her return to competitive tennis with a hard-fought win over Madison Keys at the Brisbane International.

Johanna Konta of Britain hits a return against Madison Keys of the US during their first round women's singles match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane on January 1, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Patrick HAMILTON / --IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE — STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE —

BRITISH No. 5 seed Johanna Konta marked her return to competitive tennis with a hard-fought win over Madison Keys at the Brisbane International.

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Konta’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win in a quality contest lasting more than two hours set up a second-round clash with Australia’s Croatian import Ajla Tomljanovic.

“I haven’t seen her play too much in the recent couple years just because I know she has struggled with injury but she’s a good player, I do know that,” Konta said of wildcard Tomljanovic, who has fought a long battle with shoulder problems.

“It’s going to be a tough match.

“It’s still early in the season. Everyone is still trying to find their footing, and I’m in that boat as well, probably a lot more so than some of the players having finished a bit earlier than everyone else, almost everyone else.

“But it’s another great opportunity for me to have another match and to keep getting those points under my belt.”

Konta, an Australian Open and Wimbledon semi-finalist, ended her 2017 season early after a run of five losses and succumbing to a foot injury.

The Konta-Keys match promised to be an arm wrestle with the pair splitting their previous head-to-head 1-1 and the American also coming off an injury interrupted year in which she had two wrist surgeries then reached the US Open final before playing just one more tournament and ending her season in September.

Johanna Konta during her first-round women's singles match at the Brisbane International tournament. Picture: AFP

Keys managed to break her opponent in the last game of the opening set, but Konta took the second and claimed an early break to grab a 2-0 lead in the decider.

She converted her second match point on Keys’ serve when the American sent a backhand long.

“It was damn good tennis today,” world No. 19 Keys said. “I haven’t played a match in four months, so it’s like a win for me. Played really well. She played better. I’m not that upset about it.

“If I played the way that I played against most people today, probably would have won. She happened to be better. Too good.”

Qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovic caused a boilover in searing heat out on Show Court One, ousting No. 6 seed Kristina Mladenovic of France 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 as temperatures hit 33 degrees Celsius.

No. 3 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine used her powerful serve to overcame some second-set resistance from Carla Suarez Navarro and defeat the Spanish player 6-2, 6-4, setting up a meeting with Ana Konjuh of Croatia in the second round.

Great Britain’s Johanna Konta celebrates beating American Madison Keys. Picture: AAP

Svitolina, who enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2017 winning five titles, eased through the first set before being broken early in the second to trail 0-2.

But she kept her cool, breaking back in the final game for a comfortable victory.

Svitolina, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in September and is now sixth, believes reaching the No. 1 spot this year is realistic.

“Of course this is the goal,” she said.

Madison Keys hits a return during her 6-4, 4-6, 3-6 defeat in Queensland.

“But I don’t want to have this pressure in my mind just to have this thing.

“This match was a good example that I can play good level of tennis, high level of tennis. So I will try to continue to work and to just be focused on these kind of things.”

Estonian qualifier Kaia Kanepi, the 2012 Brisbane champion, opened her main draw campaign with a win, beating Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-2.