24 June 2015
Last updated at
15:02
By Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport
Aegon International
Venue: Devonshire Park, Eastbourne Dates: 20-27 June
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Briton Johanna Konta has reached the Aegon International quarter-finals after following up her career-best win by beating another top-20 player.
Konta, ranked 146th in the world, won 6-4 4-6 6-3 against 14th-seed Garbine Muguruza in their third-round match.
The success comes a day after the 24-year-old beat world number eight Ekaterina Makarova – her first win over a player in the world’s top 10.
The British number two will now meet Belinda Bencic in the last eight.
Heather Watson, GB’s leading female player, hopes to join Konta by overcoming Sloane Stephens of the United States later on Centre Court.
“Not a lot has changed much in my shots recently – it is just to do with my belief in my shots. That has changed a lot,” Konta told BBC Sport.
Australia-born Konta, who has been given a wildcard to play at Wimbledon next week, maintained the momentum from her win over Makarova early on against Muguruza, breaking the Spaniard’s serve in the second game.
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She led 5-2 before relinquishing her serve for 5-4, but produced a gutsy response to instantly break again and take the first set.
However, Muguruza broke in the first game of the second set and held off four break points to go 3-1 ahead on her way to levelling.
Konta made a breakthrough in the fourth game of the decisive set and, following an exchange of service games, held her nerve to beat the world number 20.
“I was happy I could stay tough because she was really picking up her level and I thought she was going to run away with it a little bit,” added Konta.
“But I’m happy I stayed calm enough to take the opportunities that came.”
Swiss teenager Bencic progressed after her opponent Eugenie Bouchard, last year’s Wimbledon finalist, retired because of abdominal pain.
Seventh seed Bouchard, 21, was losing 6-4 3-0 when she called on her trainer before deciding she could not continue.
“I’m going to play at Wimbledon no matter what, even if I’m on one leg,” said the Canadian.
“I’ll take a few days off from serving and give it a little break and see how it goes.”
Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki fought back to win 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-1 against two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova.
The second-seeded Dane will play Germany’s Andrea Petkovic, who beat American Coco Vandeweghe 6-3 6-4, in the last eight.
Beaten 2012 Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska – who won in Eastbourne in 2008 – eased past Karolina Pliskova in 56 minutes, winning 6-2 6-1 against the eighth-seeded Czech.
Eugenie Bouchard has lost 11 of her last 13 matches
BBC Sport – Tennis