What a difference a year makes.
Just 12 months ago, Johanna Konta was not even seeded high enough to make the main draw of the US Open.
Just as she had at the French Open in May 2015, she had to get in the hard way, via qualifying. At Roland Garros she then lost in the first round, and did the same with a wild card at her home Major. Come New York, though, and it all fell into place: the confidence, the physical stamina, and a focus and self-belief built up with the help of a sports psychologist.
Barely inside the top 100, but with two ITF hard-court titles in her pocket, she came through three rounds of qualifying and made the fourth round, beating the likes of Garbine Muguruza and Andrea Petkovic in the process.
She has gone from strength to strength. She ended 2015 inside the top 50, entered the Australian Open main draw by right and reached the semi-finals. That earned her first seedings at the Premier Mandatories in Indian Wells and Miami—where she made her first quarter-final at that level—and then was into her first Madrid and Rome main draws.
By Roland Garros and Wimbledon she was seeded, and she won her first title—a Premier at that—at Stanford. With a quarter-final run in Montreal, too, she came close to topping the US Open Series Bonus Challenge, pipped at the post by Agnieszka Radwanska. But falling second, Konta is still in line for a big bonus if she puts together another good run in the city where it all began, on the big stage at least. She even won her very first Major match here, back in 2012, ranked 203 and, of course, coming through qualifying.
No wonder she loves New York.
“It’s actually really strange. When we got here a few days ago and I was with my coach, I said, wow it really feels as if we were just here. So I do feel that this year has gone very, very quickly. It just feels like so much has happened in such a short space of time.
“I do love the US Open. I do, so I’m very happy to be here. I love the energy of the place. It’s brilliant to be here hopefully for the next two and half weeks.”
She had played a lot of tennis to be here as the No13 seed, but as has become her way, she saw the positive side:
“It’s a great problem to have, I feel very fortunate to have played so many in succession. I’m healthy and looking forward to being here. I’ve had a number of incredible experiences in a pretty short space of time.”
And so to her first match here this year, and on the new Grandstand court. The honour was perhaps less in honour of her surge up the rankings since last year and more to do with her opponent, wild card American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
In the event, the two women played to a near-empty arena, as defending champion Novak Djokovic followed the opening-night celebrations on Arthur Ashe. But those who did come were vocal, providing plenty of support for both women.
And it proved to be as straightforward a match for Konta as the disparity in their rankings—95 spots—suggested. The Briton’s forehand in particular was in good working order, and she broke in the third game. She pressed Mattek-Sands again in the 10th game, and although the American tried to shorten the points and take the net, Konta put up a perfect lob to set break point and converted it for the set, 6-3.
Konta got the first break in the second set, too, 3-1, but had to survive a long test in the seventh game—four break points—to keep her advantage. Mattek-Sands saved one last break point but Konta served out the match in style with a backhand winner for a love hold, 6-3.
It had taken her an hour and 22 minutes, and she was all smiles for the selfies and autographs sought by almost every remaining person on the arena.
“It’s never easy coming out for a first round of a Slam. I really had to take care of things from my end… but honestly it’s really appreciated by the players that you stayed and supported!”
She added of her progress since last year: “I’ve been fortunate I’ve been able to play a lot of matches. I really don’t take anything for granted and just keep trying to build on it and improve every single day.”
She next plays Tsvetana Pironkova: “She’s a great player, been highly ranked.”
Also through in her quarter are No9 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who beat Francesca Schiavone, 6-1, 6-2, and Caroline Wozniacki, who beat Taylor Townsend, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Belinda Bencic and Andrea Petkovic also advanced.