Shakespeare-loving Vitkoria Kuzmova is tamed by dominant Jo Konta on the red clay of Roland Garros
JO KONTA was poetry in motion as she tamed Shakespeare-loving Viktoria Kuzmova in just 54 minutes at Roland Garros.
Britain’s No1 star hardly broke sweat as she won 6-2 6-1 against the Slovakian world No46 in the French Open third round.
The clinical 28-year-old is the first British woman in the fourth round here since Jo Durie and Anne Hobbs in 1983.
Kuzmova, 21, barely offered any resistance and was overwhelmed by Konta’s accuracy, control and experience.
Kuzmova revealed on the eve of the match that she carries a copy of Hamlet in her travel bag but this was more a Comedy of Errors in the biggest match of her young life.
Konta will now face her toughest assignment yet in this year's French Open in the form of Donna Vekic, the Croatian No23 seed.
It will be a rerun of their terrific Wimbledon clash from 2017 when Konta won in the second round and then progressed to the semi-finals.
Durie, 58, told Eurosport: "Of course I like holding onto records, but I also like them being broken, this one in particular since it’s been 36 years – it’s long enough.
"I got to the semi-final in ’83 and Sue Barker won the event, so there are others who have done well. I’m very proud to hold that record, but I think it’s been far too long for it to be broken."
On the picturesque Court Simonne-Mathieu, which is surrounded by greenhouses, Konta arrived laughing and smiling, evidence that the effects of the flu which was present during her second-round win had completely disappeared.
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And she did not appear to be feeling any physical worries, racing into a 3-0 lead and then winning the first set 6-2 in half an hour.
It was a strange sight watching a Brit playing a couple of gears below herself and progressing without any worry or nerves.
As far displays go, it was Much Ado about Nothing…
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