Konta unable to build on strong start as Kerber progresses in Doha

Johanna Konta fell away after a strong start as Angelique Kerber progressed in the Qatar Total Open.

A mouth-watering last-16 match-up between the former world number one and Great Britain’s top player looked to be going Konta’s way.

The 26-year-old began strongly and powered through the first set, only for Kerber to kick back and win 1-6 6-1 6-3 to set-up a quarter-final against top seed Caroline Wozniacki.

“I think in the first set I was not playing my tennis and needed a bit of time to find my rhythm,” Kerber said on www.wtatennis.com.

“From the second set I was trying to play my game, playing point by point.

“It’s always tough to play against Johanna, she’s such a good player so I was trying to go for it in the third set.”