WHAT HAPPENED: Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic shocked British No. 7 seed Johanna Konta to produce the first big upset of the 2017 US Open: a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win inside the Grandstand.
Krunic kept the Wimbledon semifinalist off balance with a collection of chips, slices and drop shots, doing just enough with her defense-to-attack counterpunching style of game to scrape into the second round.
Konta’s game plan of hugging the baseline and overpowering her opponent with hard, flat ground strokes worked for the first 30 minutes before inexplicably going away as she refused to make adjustments to her offense-first approach.
Krunic played the role of scrambler perfectly, gaining confidence as the match progressed. Konta’s mental strength appeared to get her back into the match after falling down a break in the third set, but it was Krunic who played the better points in the waning moments.
The world No. 7 raced out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set behind consecutive breaks of serve, the latter of which prompted the 24-year-old to toss her racquet to the foot of her chair at the changeover.
The No. 2-ranked Serb, behind Jelena Jankovic, Krunic regrouped quickly and put the slow start behind her by the start of the second set. Konta saved four break points at 2-3 to stay on serve, but Krunic sprinted through the next three games as Konta uncharacteristically started spraying balls around the court.
Krunic earned an early break in the third set when Konta double-faulted in the third game, and she consolidated a second break to forge ahead 5-3 and put Konta on the brink. The Brit held to make Krunic serve for the match, which she did when Konta thumped a backhand into the doubles alley.
WHAT IT MEANS: Krunic turned in her best performance in New York in three years, channeling the form that saw her reach the fourth round as a qualifier in 2014 with wins over seeds Madison Keys and Petra Kvitova.
Although she entered as the underdog, Krunic executed her game plan perfectly to overcome a tough opponent who has plenty of raw power but is often too stubborn to switch to a Plan B.
The top-ranked Brit was far from perfect, and she only showed glimpses of the form that saw her advance to the quarterfinal in Cincinnati earlier this month. For Konta, it’s her own repeat of 2014, when she fell in the first round to Shahar Peer – the only other time she had failed to make the second round in New York.
Konta had reached the round of 16 or better at five of the past eight Grand Slams, and she was among the leading contenders for a deep run in a wide open women’s field where there is no real title favorite.
Krunic now plays the winner of Ajla Tomljanovic and Johnna Larsson, with a potential third-round encounter with No. 30 seed Julia Goerges waiting in the wings. It creates a great opportunity for No. 11 seed Dominika Cibulkova, who was in line to potentially meet Konta in the fourth round.
MATCH POINT: Krunic’s unorthodox game gave Konta problems throughout. But can the Serbian offer enough variety and offensive weapons to trouble a player who moves better than Konta and is more comfortable moving forward and playing at the net?
