French Open 2019, women's singles round-up: Johanna Konta into quarters; Marketa Vondrousova bagels Anastasija Sevastova in emphatic win

Petra Martic beats Kaia Kanepi to enter first Grand Slam quarter-final Petra Martic has followed up her win over second-seeded Karolina Pliskova by rallying past Kaia Kanepi 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final. The 31st-seeded Martic had entered with an 0-4 record in the fourth round at majors — first reaching the last 16 at Roland Garros seven years ago. [caption id=“attachment_6743931” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Petra Martic celebrates recording match point during her match against Kaia Kanepi. Reuters[/caption] The Croatian said, “I waited for this moment so, so long I don’t even want to know how long.” With both players trading moon balls late in the tense third set, Martic ran down a drop shot and responded with a forehand winner up the line to break for a 5-4 lead, then converted her first match point in the next game. Martic sais, “It didn’t look good at times. … But thank God I stayed there and it paid off.” Martic next faces Vondrousova. Johanna Konta eases past Donna Vekic Johanna Konta proved that she had found her comfort zone on Roland Garros’ red clay as she surged to a 6-2, 6-4 win over Donna Vekic to become the first British woman to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open in 36 years. Konta, who before this year had never won a match at the claycourt major in four previous appearances, struck 33 winners, including seven aces to dispatch the 23rd-seeded Croatian on the hottest day of the tournament so far, with temperatures set to rise to as high as 31 degrees Celsius. Vekic was broken five times. [caption id=“attachment_6743901” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Britain’s Johanna Konta in action during her fourth-round match against Croatia’s Donna Vekic. Reuters[/caption] The last British woman to reach the Paris quarters was Jo Durie in 1983. Durie eventually lost in the semis. Although Konta and Vekic had split their previous six encounters, including an epic clash in the second round of Wimbledon in 2017 that lasted more than three hours, this was their first meeting on clay. After three straight breaks of serve, Konta was the first to hold, going up 3-1. With Vekic struggling to land a first serve in, Konta went up a double break for 5-2. Serving for the first set, the Briton saved four break points before taking it with her third ace. After swapping breaks early in the second set, a drop shot handed Konta another break. She held serve to love to clinch the match in 84 minutes. Marketa Vondrousova bagels Anastasija Sevastova Teenager Marketa Vondrousova continued to impress at the French Open when she walloped Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-0 to reach her maiden Grand Slam quarter-finals on Sunday. The 19-year-old Czech, who made quarter-final appearances at Indian Wells and Miami and reached the final on clay in Istanbul this season, blew the 12th seed off court with a mix of power and guile from the baseline. Vondrousova tormented a sorry Sevastova with drop shots throughout, bagging the last nine games to advance in searing heat. [caption id=“attachment_6743921” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Marketa Vondrousova in action during her match against Anastasija Sevastova. Reuters[/caption] She has won all her four matches in Paris within 90 minutes and without dropping a set and on Sunday she followed up her third-round victory against Carla Suarez Navarro with another stunning display. “I think I had tough last year because I was pretty new to tennis and to the pro scene, so it was tough for me. But now I have found a big team and great coach, so I think that helps me a lot,” Vondrousova recalled. She next faces Petra Martic, the woman who beat her in the Istanbul final, after the Croatian 31st seed advanced in much more laborious fashion.h point. _**Click here to read the latest updates from the men's singles round-up.**_ With inputs from Agencies.