Miami Open 2021 - Johanna Konta beaten by Petra Kvitova, Ash Barty to face Victoria Azarenka

ByAlexander Netherton

Updated 28/03/2021 at 09:55 GMT

Johanna Konta was knocked out, 6-1 6-2, by Petra Kvitova in the the third round of the Miami Open in the United States. Elsewhere, Ash Barty set up a fourth round clash with Victoria Azarenka. Romanian former number one Simona Halep was forced to withdraw after failing to recover from an injury, meaning she will miss the rest of the tournament.

Britain’s number one Johanna Konta was knocked out of the Miami Open, 6-1 6-2, in the third round by Petra Kvitova.

Konta was soundly beaten by her Czech opponent as she continues her struggle to find form in the season. Kvitova needed 58 minutes to pull off the win and will now face Elina Svitolina in the last 16.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Victoria Azarenka set up a fourth-round match with Ash Barty, by beating Angelique Kerber, 7-5 6-2, despite being 4-1 down in the first set.

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Speaking after her win, Azarenka acknowledged Barty would be a tough opponent.

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"She's a very talented player. I always have been a huge fan of her game and the way she plays, the way she handles herself," she said.

"She has a lot of variety. She has pretty much every single shot there is. [It's] going to be a great match."

Johanna Konta

Image credit: Getty Images

Barty herself made her way into the next round with a 6-3 6-3 victory over Jelena Ostapenko.

Elsewhere, Ana Konjuh beat rising Polish star Iga Swiatek 6-4 2-6 6-2 in a surprise upset for the Roland Garros champion.

Elina Svitolina beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (1) 6-4, Aryna Sabalenka beat Veronika Kudermetova, and Marketa Vondrousova defeated Belinda Bencic 4-6 6-4 6-4.

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