Wimbledon: Johanna Konta beats Donna Vekic in three-hour epic to make it into the third round for the first time

Konta won a thrilling back-and-forth match 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 10-8

Johanna Konta won an exhausting marathon on Centre Court on Wednesday afternoon to reach the third round of Wimbledon for the first time in her career. Konta and Croatian youngster Donna Vekic played for more than three hours in the draining sun. Konta took the first set, Vekic the second before the home favourite eventually edged over the line 10-8 in the third.

It was a thrilling back-and-forth match, in which each of the three sets could have gone the other way. Konta said afterwards that both players deserved to win, which was indisputably true. It was a long slog in the lunch-time heat, through a swarm of flying ants, many of which the players inadvertently swallowed. And it was surely the best match of the ladies’ singles here so far.

Konta said it was “one of the most epic matches I have been a part of”, and there will not be many better here this month. “It was one of those matches where it was going to be decided at the very last minute. I feel very fortunate to have come through that, it was a great battle to be part of.”

From the start of the first set, just after 1pm, the pace was relentless and it hardly let up until it ended just before 4.20pm. The crucial break in the decisive set came in the 18th game, as Konta found extra energy from somewhere to take her away from Vekic. The Croat saved the first match point with an ace but at the second she could only find the net. Konta celebrated with glee and relief, and a real sense that she can go far.

Vekic left the court in tears and Konta felt for her young opponent. “After such a battle, you feel both your own and her emotions, because there wasn’t much separating us” Konta said. “I could easily put myself in her shoes and feel what she was feeling. I congratulated her for the battle we put on.”

As Konta admitted, it all could have gone very different. Especially had she not dug in to turn around the first set hours before. It was the lively Vekic who broke her first to go 5-3 up, then forcing her way to two set points. Konta furiously saved them and broke back, to the roar of the Centre Court crowd.

Konta is through to the third round of Wimbledon for the first time in her career (Getty)

Konta nearly edged ahead at 5-5 but missed four break points and the first set ended up in a tie break. At the end of a set of missed chances and swinging momentum, the tie break was much the same, but Konta pushed ahead and won it 7-4.

The crowd got emphatically behind Konta and stayed with her all afternoon. “I absolutely love playing in front of Brit crowds,” Konta said, “it does make it that much more when you have home support. They lived and died with the match as well.”

After 67 minutes of draining tennis, the second set was even more topsy-turvy. It began with three breaks in the first five games, and there was almost a fourth, but Vekic held. From there the Croatian started to pull away and when she had the chance to serve for the set, she just about held her nerve.

Vekic pushed the Briton all the way (Getty)

By this point Konta and Vekic were tiring and the third set could never have been as fast as the first two were. The match started to go predictably with serve and the upsets of the second set felt far away. There were barely any moments where a break felt likely, although one miscued Konta smash in the sixth game could have opened an opportunity up.

It was in the 13th game of the epic final set when we saw the first break point, which Vekic worked so hard for, but even then Konta dug in, found some power from somewhere and got through. Four games, another anxious moment, another Vekic break point, but Konta saved again to go 9-8 up. The next game was when the break finally came, sending Konta through.