In one of the most remarkable upsets of the clay court season this year, #JohannaKonta stunned title favourite #KikiBertens in the semifinals of the 2019 #InternazionaliBNLDItalia to reach her biggest final since her breakthrough a couple of years ago. The Brit recovered from a set down to defeat the in-form Dutchwoman 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the final in Rome despite clay being her least-preferred surface.
What a journey it has been for Konta. No matter whether you like or dislike her, you just have to appreciate how hard of a worker she is. From losing a one-sided Major semifinal in front of her home crowd at Wimbledon two years ago, Konta fell from a career-high ranking of four to as low as the 50th position last year. However, she experienced a resurgence on her worst surface, reaching finals in both Rabat and Rome to re-enter the top-30.
Whereas, it was a great run from Bertens as well. Triumphing in Madrid as the only woman in history to not lose a set en route, she reached a new career-high ranking of four. She even defeated three consecutive top-10 players along the way, namely defending champion Petra Kvitova, and both French Open finalists from last year, Sloane Stephens and Simona Halep. Even in Rome, she claimed back-to-back statement wins over Amanda Anisimova and Carla Suarez Navarro despite a narrow recovery period and will enter Paris as one of the favourites.
With an extra day of rest before the semifinal match due to Osaka’s withdrawal, Bertens was tipped to reach her second straight final but Konta, with her improved clay-court skills, continued her fairytale run with another defeat of a top-10 player as the Brit stormed into the biggest clay-court final of her career despite not reaching a quarterfinal on dirt before this year.
Bertens produces a wonderful comeback to take the opening set
Bertens was the one who made a better start into the match, surging out to the first breakthrough in the fourth game as she capitalized on Konta’s unforced errors to snatch the commanding 3-1 lead early on. However, it was a series of poor forehands which saw the Dutchwoman hand the advantage back immediately, allowing Konta to return on serve.
With the unruly wind disrupting the rhythm occasionally, Bertens was certainly struggling with her form as she failed to find any momentum while Konta flourished with her powerful baseline game. Being able to dictate play and punish Bertens’ backhands, Konta was just an inch away from stunning the crowd out on Court Centrale as she hit a backhand winner into the open court to break for a 5-4 lead, alongside the golden opportunity to serve out the set.
However, a perfect return game saw Bertens breaking straight back to love, and she went on to survive a three-deuce game to regain the lead. It was three consecutive games for the world number four as she took the first set 7-5, putting herself in the driving seat to book a spot in the final.
Konta fights back from nowhere, sends the match into a decider
Bertens’ serve was malfunctioning throughout the match — winning just 36 percent of her second serves and serving nine double-faults in total despite hitting 10 aces as well. Frustration was obvious for the Dutchwoman as the intensity in her game experienced a massive dip after the hard-fought opening frame, throwing in an unfortunate double-fault to hand Konta the break in the first game of the second set.
Many expected Konta to fade away after falling short in the first set, and she was broken straight back as Bertens was determined to close out the match in a straightforward fashion. However, the Brit was rock solid on her serve as she dominated her service games, disallowing her higher-ranked opponent from running away with the win.
A poor volley and another poor return from Konta saw her missing out on two break chances in the seventh game, but another disastrous service game from Bertens saw her serving a double-fault on break point, allowing Konta to serve for the set at 6-5 up. Just moments before, the Dutchwoman was just two points away from claiming the win but Konta displayed moments of excellence to save herself from the brink.
This time around, Konta maintained her composure and successfully served out the set, coming out of nowhere to level the scores.
Konta seals the huge win
After a quick exchange of holds to begin the deciding set with, it was surprisingly Bertens who blinked first. The excessive load of tennis she had played finally seemed to have its effect on her play as an abundance of unforced errors were produced from her racquet. She was struggling with her serve, and yet another double-fault on a break point handed Konta the decisive lead.
Gaining confidence as each point progressed, Konta was flawless on serve and erased the sole break point she faced throughout the entirety of the final set. Bertens found herself in all sorts of trouble and an accidental release of her racquet while reaching out for a shot narrowly brushed past a line umpire which could have ended way worse than expected.
Bertens’ mind seemed to have wandered away from the match as a series of poor decisions saw her being broken to love with Konta earning a double-break advantage and having two chances to serve out the match. With the finishing line in sight, Konta experienced a slight hiccup as three straight unforced errors provided Bertens with a lifeline.
However, it was fourth-time lucky for the Brit as Bertens sent a return into the net, allowing Konta to seal the terrific 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 win after two-hours and 49-minutes of action.
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