Day 3

:00:38. > :00:48.Good afternoon. We have tennis! Yesterday, there was barely any. But

:00:49. > :00:54.many thousand people stayed resolutely optimistic until about

:00:55. > :00:59.half past six last night. And at seven o'clock this morning,

:01:00. > :01:04.everybody came back. The people of Sussex were called to arms, and

:01:05. > :01:10.after a few hours' really hard work, it was paying off. Who could be that

:01:11. > :01:16.smiling face beneath the bobble hat? You certainly know who this is, the

:01:17. > :01:21.star turn at Eastbourne this year, and actually he's been and gone

:01:22. > :01:25.already, Novak Djokovic beat Pospisil in straight sets only one.

:01:26. > :01:29.I actually went to watch him for half a night, and the aura he

:01:30. > :01:33.generated was truly extraordinary. It was as if Ed Sheeran pitched-up

:01:34. > :01:36.with a guitar and said, I'm going to play on Centre Court. There were

:01:37. > :01:41.thousands and thousands of people who were surreptitiously taking

:01:42. > :01:46.pictures of Djokovic at the change of ends, because they had a global

:01:47. > :01:53.superstar in their midst. It was great to feel that. So, he's safely

:01:54. > :01:59.through to the next round. And so is another big name, Simona Halep, who

:02:00. > :02:06.beat the qualifier Duan. You will see the differential in size as

:02:07. > :02:10.well. Halep and not at her best at safely through to the next round.

:02:11. > :02:13.One of the amazing things about Eastbourne this year is that the men

:02:14. > :02:18.are playing here now, as they will be in years to come, meaning you get

:02:19. > :02:22.some incredible matches being played on the outside, outside, outside

:02:23. > :02:27.court! Just over there, Sam Querrey is playing Daniil Medvedev on that

:02:28. > :02:31.court. And those two last week were playing in front of 9500 people on

:02:32. > :02:36.Centre Court at Queen's Club. And there they are playing in front of

:02:37. > :02:40.400 people crammed around as close as possible, virtually handing the

:02:41. > :02:45.Taiwan to Sam Querrey at the change of ends. I should say, because of

:02:46. > :02:48.the weather break that we had yesterday, even though the main

:02:49. > :02:53.courts are sold out for the next few days, there are still ground passes

:02:54. > :02:57.for sale also if you fancy coming along, you will see some great

:02:58. > :03:02.players up close and personal, in a way that you probably can't do

:03:03. > :03:08.anywhere else. So, this is where we sit as far as the women's tour is

:03:09. > :03:15.concerned. The top half of the draw looks like that... Angelique Kerber

:03:16. > :03:19.is the first person we are going to see in action, live, in a few

:03:20. > :03:23.moments' time. Jo Konta, by the way, against Ostapenko, but side that

:03:24. > :03:35.might be, it will probably be tomorrow. This is our plan of

:03:36. > :03:45.campaign for today. With Kerber and Jo Konta, it is a day for Special Ks

:03:46. > :03:52.on Centre Court. And Heather Watson, after that fantastic victory a

:03:53. > :03:56.couple of days ago, she plays Pavlyuchenkova this afternoon. The

:03:57. > :04:02.seedings for Woodward and have been announced. Andy Murray is still the

:04:03. > :04:05.world number one, despite a few slip-ups of late. And Novak

:04:06. > :04:10.Djokovic, who is playing here at Eastbourne. Federer is now seeded

:04:11. > :04:19.higher than Nadal. And so it goes on down.

:04:20. > :04:47.Before we see Angelique Kerber in action, let's find out from her what

:04:48. > :04:54.it feels like to be world number one and top seed at Wimbledon. We have

:04:55. > :04:58.just been watching you looking up on the practice court, hundreds of

:04:59. > :05:01.people around, talking about, there's Angelique Kerber, the world

:05:02. > :05:05.number one - what is it like adjusting to being in that

:05:06. > :05:10.spotlight? It feels good. Of course, it is a great feeling to be the

:05:11. > :05:13.number one. But it's also like you have much more things to do, the

:05:14. > :05:17.expectation is much higher than it was a year ago. Still, this was

:05:18. > :05:23.always what I was dreaming of and working hard for. So it's nice to be

:05:24. > :05:26.there. So the dream came true, but there is a chance this week that you

:05:27. > :05:29.could lose that position as world number one, you've really got to do

:05:30. > :05:34.well at Eastbourne - how are you coping with that pressure on teach

:05:35. > :05:37.I've learnt already, so mini things, to deal with the pressure. At the

:05:38. > :05:42.end, it's only a number before your name, and you always have to play

:05:43. > :05:46.your best tennis and this is what I am working hard on doing, winning

:05:47. > :05:52.matches and winning tournaments. This is the goal for the next few

:05:53. > :06:00.weeks, to think more about the matches and winning. You are much

:06:01. > :06:04.happier on grass, aren't you? I am for sure much happier to be playing

:06:05. > :06:07.on grass again! I have great memories from last year's,

:06:08. > :06:10.especially the final at Wimbledon. I'm feeling good and looking forward

:06:11. > :06:16.to playing again here in England. What would the title means here,

:06:17. > :06:21.hanging onto the world number one spot and taking the Eastbourne

:06:22. > :06:24.title? Always, titles feel-good, but it's still a long way, and I will

:06:25. > :06:32.try my best to get there. Right now I'm focusing on the first match. And

:06:33. > :06:37.then we will see. So, they are under way on Centre Court, and it's a

:06:38. > :06:43.pretty healthy crowd as well, they were there early to watch Djokovic.

:06:44. > :07:07.And you can see, it's not raining, we have live tennis.

:07:08. > :07:13.Good afternoon, everybody. As John said, it is lovely that it's not

:07:14. > :07:23.raining. Some fantastic matches in prospect.

:07:24. > :07:30.Comfortable hold for Angelique Kerber, the world number one. Sam

:07:31. > :07:36.Smith, so much to talk about when it comes to Angelique Kerber, because

:07:37. > :07:40.most tennis players will say it is a dream to be world number one, but it

:07:41. > :07:44.is everything that comes with it? Yes, and she has struggled with it.

:07:45. > :07:51.She has been very honest about that. I think last year, reaching world

:07:52. > :08:03.number one, it was not a year that I should have prepared for.

:08:04. > :08:08.This year has been a struggle for her. People have great admiration

:08:09. > :08:12.for what Serena Williams has done over the years, managing that

:08:13. > :08:15.expectation every time she goes on court, with players always playing

:08:16. > :08:20.that little bit better because they're playing against the world's

:08:21. > :08:27.best player. What will the conditions be like for the players

:08:28. > :08:30.out there today? Actually, ideal. We would really like the courts to be

:08:31. > :08:36.completely dry, they are safe to play on but there is an enormous

:08:37. > :08:39.amount of moisture in the air. The courts will be a bit soft, certainly

:08:40. > :08:42.in the early part of the day. The problem is, there isn't any wind

:08:43. > :08:49.today, which is really strange for Eastbourne! Four weeks ago, they put

:08:50. > :08:52.in a new irrigation system, which they were using, because the courts

:08:53. > :08:58.were cracking, because they were so dry. It has helped these courts

:08:59. > :09:32.become playable, far quicker than in previous years.

:09:33. > :09:42.And I think we might see a fair few of those off the racket of Christina

:09:43. > :09:43.Pliskova, having hit the most aces this year, just a couple ahead of

:09:44. > :10:32.her sister. I feel for the first time this year,

:10:33. > :10:37.angelic has looked a lot more relaxed. One way of reducing

:10:38. > :10:57.pressure and expectation is to have results not going your way! Ace

:10:58. > :11:39.So, six games played, no break points to speak of. For those of you

:11:40. > :11:44.looking at Krystina, and thinking she looks familiar, she is the older

:11:45. > :11:54.sister by a couple of minutes to Karolina Pliskova. She's 44 in the

:11:55. > :12:00.rankings. And as you said the other day, Sam, the good thing about

:12:01. > :12:03.Krystina's ranking, is that now she is at the same tournament as her

:12:04. > :12:04.sister, so they get to spend more time together, and practice

:12:05. > :13:20.together. Good signs, Angelique Kerber's

:13:21. > :13:32.forehand seems to be working well, the timing is good. We have a very

:13:33. > :13:35.relaxed looking world number one out on the Centre Court hearing

:13:36. > :13:38.Eastbourne, and she edges ahead in this first set. It is the second

:13:39. > :13:45.meeting between these two, the second this year. When they met at

:13:46. > :13:51.the Australian Open, 6-0, 6-1 in favour of Angelique Kerber, and

:13:52. > :13:55.Krystina said, I gave her the first set, or I could see was the number

:13:56. > :14:11.one player in the world, and I crumbled. Which shows that this game

:14:12. > :14:17.is very mental, Sam? Yeah. I was waiting for a Christian! There was a

:14:18. > :14:22.question built into that. OK! When they played in Australia, I

:14:23. > :14:24.commentated on that match, and she was much, much more uptight, even

:14:25. > :14:29.though she had a couple of rounds under her belt. It was so stressful

:14:30. > :14:32.for her, there was so much attention, and I thought that was

:14:33. > :14:36.going to be quite dangerous meeting for her. I felt she could lose to

:14:37. > :14:41.anyone. But she found her way through it. But Krystina would not

:14:42. > :14:45.be the first player to lose the first set against a big name player,

:14:46. > :14:47.because you don't think you can win. I think what has changed,

:14:48. > :14:53.particularly over these six months, is the fact that the lower rank

:14:54. > :15:03.players now will believe they can beat the top players, the or a has

:15:04. > :15:07.gone, and it's gone from Kerber. That was Caroline Wozniacki's

:15:08. > :15:11.father, and he's a man who watches so much tennis, he's the number one

:15:12. > :15:46.scout! She is an imposing figure when she

:15:47. > :15:53.gets herself to the net. And it is all set up by this wonderful Romy.

:15:54. > :15:58.She's a lefty, and she gets this wonderful outswinging serve.

:15:59. > :16:01.Apparently she was very happy when she was told that she had served the

:16:02. > :16:06.most aces this year, and she's leading her sister. Would mean a

:16:07. > :16:16.lot! She has been in her sister's shadows. Always asked why she isn't

:16:17. > :16:20.as good as her sister. Some of it, and Karolina has alluded to this, is

:16:21. > :16:20.that she has not been quite as single-minded as her slightly

:16:21. > :16:50.younger sister. Angelique is pretty transparent,

:16:51. > :16:54.whether she's uptight or relaxed. It has been a long year for her, she

:16:55. > :16:56.been looking rather unhappy on the tennis court, but she looks happy

:16:57. > :17:19.today. Job done for Krystina Pliskova in

:17:20. > :17:26.this it is in the game of the first set. Angelique Kerber, who's still

:17:27. > :17:30.looking for her first title of the year. Did get to the final in

:17:31. > :17:35.Monterey. Withdrew from Birmingham due to a hamstring problem. So, this

:17:36. > :18:18.is her first grass court match of the season.

:18:19. > :18:26.That's a shot she lines up time after time. It has won so much money

:18:27. > :18:33.for her, that shot, it should have its own bank account. Her forehand

:18:34. > :18:36.is so good on the grass, because her grip is not too extreme on that

:18:37. > :18:47.forehand side, it is natural for her. And you can see the reaction -

:18:48. > :19:19.to miss that shot, that's a problem. Because it is the money shot!

:19:20. > :19:49.Pliskova is not known for her movement, but that was a big mistake

:19:50. > :19:52.from Kerber - you always play into the open court against a player that

:19:53. > :20:06.doesn't move particularly well. And there we go, Krystina Pliskova

:20:07. > :20:12.takes advantage of the first break point of the match, to get the break

:20:13. > :20:18.and put her within one game of taking this first set. Yesterday was

:20:19. > :20:29.very depressing, wasn't it, the weather? Yes, it was, in many ways.

:20:30. > :20:33.It was fine for us, we get to come back here and work for the rest of

:20:34. > :20:36.the week. I bumped into quite a few couples yesterday, there was one

:20:37. > :20:39.staying at our hotel, they bought their ticket in October of last

:20:40. > :20:44.year, and they only had it for yesterday. And they have Djokovic on

:20:45. > :20:51.Centre Court! And they were so good about it - never mind, we'll come

:20:52. > :20:56.back next year! That's tough! I was getting myself a bit more up-to-date

:20:57. > :21:00.about string technology, because quite a few of the racket companies

:21:01. > :21:05.have their stands. How did that go? It went well, actually, I'm looking

:21:06. > :21:08.at switching up some of my strings. It's changed so much since I was

:21:09. > :21:13.playing, and it is changing all the time. How much of difference it

:21:14. > :21:18.make, take one of the modern rackets, with the modern technology,

:21:19. > :21:23.is it out of this world different? Out of this world different. I

:21:24. > :21:25.always thought, it's a racket, don't bother changing it, don't worry

:21:26. > :21:37.about the strings. It is light years away. It makes such a difference.

:21:38. > :21:40.Christina Pliskova, world number 44, 25 years of age, currently sitting

:21:41. > :21:42.at a career-high, has the chance to take her first set off Angelique

:21:43. > :22:06.Kerber. This is a very difficult serve to

:22:07. > :22:11.break, particularly on this court today, with the ball swinging away.

:22:12. > :22:19.If you watch her, she 6ft 1in, she gets up to it so well, and then she

:22:20. > :22:32.snaps the rest. Really spreads her hands on that grip, she uses her

:22:33. > :22:38.hand really well on the serve. I was out watching her practice on a sunny

:22:39. > :22:42.Sunday afternoon, with Sister Karolina, and I kept thinking, apart

:22:43. > :22:46.from the left right thing, what is the difference? I just think, I

:22:47. > :22:55.don't think she makes is good decisions on court as Karolina, I

:22:56. > :22:58.think the timing is not quite up to Karolina's and she doesn't read the

:22:59. > :23:03.game in quite the same way. But Karolina has been talking about how

:23:04. > :24:01.much she improving, she's starting to motor now.

:24:02. > :24:29.31 minutes on the clock, first couple of set points.

:24:30. > :24:36.Still a big deal, isn't it? When the player at the other end has got a

:24:37. > :24:40.number by their name. That's sometimes where Krystina sometimes

:24:41. > :24:59.just lacks a little composure and confidence.

:25:00. > :25:08.But you turn to your biggest weapon, the serve, you serve it out at the

:25:09. > :25:11.second time of asking. . 32 minutes on the clock, and Krystina Pliskova

:25:12. > :25:16.has taken the first set against the world number one. This was always

:25:17. > :25:20.going to be tricky for Angelique Kerber, then her first match on the

:25:21. > :25:57.grass against somebody with this serve.

:25:58. > :27:11.Well, started off with a lot of laughter, then it became quite

:27:12. > :27:15.serious. Some, I am guessing your Czech is about as good as your

:27:16. > :27:18.Slovakian, so I'm going to ask any viewers out there if you could

:27:19. > :27:53.translate that for us! Important game, this, for Angelique

:27:54. > :28:06.Kerber. She did not have her coach on, but the tactics are always, get

:28:07. > :28:10.Krystina on the move. If I was Kerber, I wouldn't be too worried

:28:11. > :28:11.about dropping the first set. I don't think this is the endgame

:28:12. > :28:28.here. Actually wasn't a bad idea to serve

:28:29. > :28:53.that the body, but you can see, she did not get quite at the hips.

:28:54. > :29:04.An important game to hold from Angelique Kerber and get us under

:29:05. > :29:10.way in set number two. Angelique Kerber has been a finalist here

:29:11. > :29:14.before, in 2012 and 2014. She does have a tighter long grass, in

:29:15. > :29:18.Birmingham, in 2015. She mentioned this in her interview at the start,

:29:19. > :29:22.about the number one ranking. It is up for grabs, and it could change

:29:23. > :29:27.hands as early as the end of this week? Yes, it could. Actually, if

:29:28. > :29:31.she loses before the quarterfinals and Halep makes the semifinals, then

:29:32. > :29:37.Simona Halep would have been world number one. I would rather have seen

:29:38. > :29:47.it at the French Open, but I think Halep is right there now. Just

:29:48. > :29:51.finishing up the point on the world rankings, she will be seeded number

:29:52. > :29:56.one for Wimbledon, because that's the ranking this week, which will be

:29:57. > :30:03.used for next week's rankings. But she is also defending points from

:30:04. > :30:10.last year's final, so they will drop off. I sometimes wonder with tennis

:30:11. > :30:14.rankings if they shouldn't model themselves on the golf and go with

:30:15. > :30:25.prize money. It would be far simpler.

:30:26. > :30:37.Using the front part of the court, not a bad idea to get Kerber off her

:30:38. > :31:43.baseline. Nice, soft hands there. Kerber's job is to hold serve,

:31:44. > :31:47.extend these Pliskova games. The ball is bouncing very low, it's very

:31:48. > :32:02.soft, and she has a long way to go down. She looks like she may have a

:32:03. > :32:09.slightly tight hamstring. UMPIRE: Miss Kerber is challenging the call.

:32:10. > :32:43.Not by much, and this -- missed. From 40-0, Kristyna Pliskova holds

:32:44. > :32:48.to make it one game apiece. She said, when you are young, you want

:32:49. > :32:50.to be number one, but maybe taking the number one away from Angelique

:32:51. > :32:59.Kerber would not be the worst thing in the world. I think you could have

:33:00. > :33:03.said that in the first six months of the year, but she has turned a

:33:04. > :33:12.corner now and she is finally comfortable as world number one.

:33:13. > :33:22.Her job out here - keep holding serve. She has not even got to deuce

:33:23. > :33:31.on the Pliskova games, and wait for a lapse in concentration from the

:33:32. > :34:34.Czech. That will feel good. If it is OK!

:34:35. > :34:38.It's funny, isn't it, left-handed players don't like playing

:34:39. > :34:43.left-handed players. Angelique Kerber has a pretty good record

:34:44. > :34:50.against them. Kristyna, not so much, but that will feel really good. That

:34:51. > :34:57.was the first ace of the match for Kerber. And there is number two. She

:34:58. > :35:07.waited a while, two at once, 42 minutes on the clock. Kerber holds

:35:08. > :35:16.serve comfortably. It is 2-1 in Faber that my favour of cover. A

:35:17. > :35:20.good win for Simona Halep earlier today in her Eastbourne debut. And a

:35:21. > :35:31.much needed one, her very first match after the French Open. -- it

:35:32. > :35:54.is in favour of Pliskova. It is important to get a match or

:35:55. > :36:00.two under her belt before Wimbledon. A good decision, and it probably

:36:01. > :36:06.gets her back into things, gets Paris that out of the way, and she's

:36:07. > :36:18.on the of becoming -- get Paris out of the way, and she is on course for

:36:19. > :37:34.being world number one. We all need a bit of alone time.

:37:35. > :37:44.Ace number eight. Kristyna has got to a final this year in Prague. She

:37:45. > :37:46.got to the quarterfinals in Majorca. She had a first round win here over

:37:47. > :38:00.Naomi Brodie. Well, you are forced to hit lines

:38:01. > :38:01.against Kerber, because she is one of the tough as players out there.

:38:02. > :38:38.That was a miscue from Pliskova. There is the break. World number

:38:39. > :38:44.one, Angelique Kerber. I don't know what came over Kristyna Pliskova.

:38:45. > :38:51.That was the lack of concentration I was talking about. First .7 folly.

:38:52. > :39:28.Opened up zero - 15, and then there was the break.

:39:29. > :39:36.Just starting to get on the ball, get up the court, play this match on

:39:37. > :39:37.her terms, and that spells trouble for Pliskova, because she cannot win

:39:38. > :40:09.this by running and defending. A love hold for Angelique Kerber

:40:10. > :40:19.consolidates the second set break, takes her to 4-1 in the second,

:40:20. > :40:24.Pliskova with the first set by 6-4. I always find it fascinating with

:40:25. > :40:27.the Pliskova sisters, when they are both in tennis, both playing, when

:40:28. > :40:30.they were younger, it was Kristyna who cracked the top 100 for the

:40:31. > :40:31.first time and a lot of people by saying it was Kristyna who had more

:40:32. > :41:42.promise. A quick listen now. I got OK. It means our Czech viewers

:41:43. > :42:47.will be busy, because you have a second Czech team talk to translate.

:42:48. > :42:53.If you're going to serve there, you need to take a little more pace off

:42:54. > :42:56.the ball, get it further up the box, with much more swing and accuracy.

:42:57. > :43:08.You cannot serve in that spot. There is something wrong with

:43:09. > :43:16.Kristyna's game out here. It is all about her intensity, and lack of it.

:43:17. > :43:20.She has switched off. And there it is - a long break for Angelique

:43:21. > :43:26.Kerber, for a double break in the second set to put the German world

:43:27. > :43:31.number one, a former finalist here, one game away from taking us into a

:43:32. > :43:35.decider. I am not sure what was said in the team talk, but it didn't have

:43:36. > :43:45.an immediate effect. And that is 11 points in a row. Kristyna Mentor Lee

:43:46. > :44:07.has gone away from this match. -- mentally.

:44:08. > :44:34.I think Kristyna's waiting for the deciding set now.

:44:35. > :44:43.The last few games tell you why her sister is ranked third in the world

:44:44. > :44:47.and she is ranked 44th. Mentally not apply in herself. Waiting for the

:44:48. > :44:53.final set is not a tactic. Investing in the second set is the way to go.

:44:54. > :45:11.Wow... Triple set point. 52 minutes on the clock.

:45:12. > :45:20.And there it is, a very comfortable second set for Angelique Kerber her

:45:21. > :45:24.first set on grass in 2017, and that means we are heading to a decider

:45:25. > :45:31.out here on Centre Court. I can't see any coaches coming on to court

:45:32. > :45:34.to have a chat with their charges. Kristyna, that was a case of, this

:45:35. > :45:40.set is gone and I will wait for the decider. It be interesting to see

:45:41. > :45:44.how she resets against Kerber, who is now playing with more confidence.

:45:45. > :45:51.It is not that easy to switch off and switch on again. Kerber I was

:45:52. > :46:00.perhaps a little more solid than in the first set. She applied herself.

:46:01. > :46:04.If you were giving the little chapter Pliskova, what would your

:46:05. > :46:08.advice be against Gabba, who is starting to play the game that has

:46:09. > :46:23.got her to world number one? -- against Kerber. For Pliskova, she

:46:24. > :46:27.has to reset. She has to get her intensity back. Her feet have

:46:28. > :46:32.stopped moving. She has got to get her head back in this match, and

:46:33. > :46:37.this is where she differs from Karolina. You cannot switch off. She

:46:38. > :46:42.lost the last 15 points. It must be hard when you look in the mirror and

:46:43. > :46:47.see your reflection, she sees that in another person. That other person

:46:48. > :46:51.is number three in the world, but I wonder how hard that is for

:46:52. > :46:55.Kristyna, who as you say is maybe a touch more laid-back, to have

:46:56. > :46:56.someone who is the mirror image of you doing exactly what you would

:46:57. > :49:43.like to? It must be hard. That was an important hold for

:49:44. > :49:46.Pliskova. We talked about her needing to reset, and it looks like

:49:47. > :49:53.she has. She held serve and needed to. It is about hitting big first

:49:54. > :49:57.serves, swinging the second as well, being more accurate. When you switch

:49:58. > :50:01.off slightly, you don't have the same accuracy with your serving, and

:50:02. > :50:07.it is vital against someone who returns as well as Kerber, who can

:50:08. > :50:11.get you on the back foot. I think they have been generous with the

:50:12. > :50:15.number of unforced errors out here. Kerber just didn't give anything

:50:16. > :50:16.away, landed a few forehands. I think this set will be a little

:50:17. > :51:01.closer. It's the only time you really get a

:51:02. > :51:04.reaction from Angelique Kerber when she misses that particular shot.

:51:05. > :51:32.That is a really good barometer of how she is feeling.

:51:33. > :51:38.Despite Kerber winning that point, already, we are seeing a different

:51:39. > :51:43.Pliskova. Yes, chasing a little bit more. Had to stop that run-off point

:51:44. > :51:48.against. That is a great sign if you are a Kerber fan. When she became

:51:49. > :51:51.number one, I think she expected to hit the ball beautifully in every

:51:52. > :52:05.match, played lights out tennis. That just isn't possible.

:52:06. > :52:13.She has got a really good pattern of play here - a lot of good first

:52:14. > :52:16.serves, always making Pliskova stretch, distribution and better,

:52:17. > :52:17.and that is what she needs, big margins, crosscourt, and then look

:52:18. > :52:38.for the line. Serena Williams, if you think about

:52:39. > :52:41.it, she did not play well in every single match when she became world

:52:42. > :52:46.number one. Didn't mind losing asset here and there are she was a little

:52:47. > :52:51.rusty. The top players don't play well every match. -- didn't mind

:52:52. > :53:13.losing a set. When you consider Kerber's achievements, not bad for

:53:14. > :53:28.one year's work. And then too much happening, too busy celebrating.

:53:29. > :53:34.The funny thing is that it is not really Angie to go and celebrate.

:53:35. > :53:40.She would rather be in Poland, where she practices and trains at her

:53:41. > :53:44.grandparents' tennis academy. Obama visited Germany and she got an

:53:45. > :53:49.opportunity to meet him. You will not turn that down, will you? German

:53:50. > :54:06.sports Person of the year, all these awards shows.

:54:07. > :54:18.You almost saw the relief when she lost against Coco Vandeweghe in

:54:19. > :54:25.Australia. It was almost a relief when she lost that match. And she

:54:26. > :54:27.hadn't had a proper preseason. It was just so many things she couldn't

:54:28. > :55:13.turn down. What a shot, what a winner, what a

:55:14. > :55:20.point. Angelique Kerber, world number one, gets the break in the

:55:21. > :55:24.decider, Leeds 2-1. -- she is in the lead by 2-1. Any rust that may have

:55:25. > :55:29.been there is a thing of the past for the German. In the first set, I

:55:30. > :55:32.thought she was striking the ball well, driving up on that service,

:55:33. > :55:43.which means that the hamstring and the back are OK. OK, so, we have got

:55:44. > :56:02.the doctor on court. Just trying to figure what may have

:56:03. > :56:09.happened with Pliskova. I think she may have been stung. It is one of

:56:10. > :56:17.those Eastbourne bees. She has that yellow bag, it may have attracted

:56:18. > :56:23.it. I did see Fed cup, Timea Bacsinszky was stung in doors at a

:56:24. > :56:27.match. She had a big bag of ice, as we are about to see now. That is not

:56:28. > :56:34.what you need when you are in the deciding set you and -- in the

:56:35. > :56:46.deciding set and you are a break down. How was this possible? ! It is

:56:47. > :56:50.cold and damp, but it is summer. I think it was trying to pollinate her

:56:51. > :56:57.racket bag. Trying to pollinate her racket bag? Because of the yellow.

:56:58. > :57:03.They are attracted by that. I said it was resting on her bag, you take

:57:04. > :57:06.it one stage further! It has been given its marching orders and it

:57:07. > :57:12.will not be pollinating there in the near future. Nasty, and it is on her

:57:13. > :57:25.left arm as well. That will tingle and... Keep an eye on the elbow.

:57:26. > :58:57.Kerber with the break, deciding set. Well, possibly distracted by her

:58:58. > :59:03.opponent being stung, or this thing giving something extra to Kristyna.

:59:04. > :59:14.She has had a couple of shockers in this game.

:59:15. > :59:20.She will challenge it, but I'm not sure it will be overturned, and I

:59:21. > :59:24.think that will be a break to love for Pliskova to get us back on

:59:25. > :59:35.serve. She is still rubbing that elbow. From the woman who made one

:59:36. > :59:41.unforced error in that second set, and no wonder she is frustrated. It

:59:42. > :59:48.is the first poor game she has played in this match. I doubt her

:59:49. > :00:13.laps will last as long as Pliskova's.

:00:14. > :00:19.Fourth double fault of the match for Pliskova, sitting on nine aces as

:00:20. > :00:39.well. UMPIRE: Miss Pliskova is challenging

:00:40. > :00:46.the call on the right centreline, the ball was called out. Call

:00:47. > :00:58.stands, second serve. UMPIRE: Mr Skipper has two

:00:59. > :01:29.challenges remaining. For she does such good work, at the

:01:30. > :01:34.top of the swing, she can just send it any direction.

:01:35. > :01:58.SAM SMITH:, you never know with Krystina, when the lights are going

:01:59. > :02:04.to go back on! GIGI SALMON: May be it the bee sting

:02:05. > :02:13.effect, but she's called her coach back on. So, our Czech viewers, you

:02:14. > :02:14.now have your third team talk to translate - that us know what they

:02:15. > :03:40.say! It's funny, Czechs always seem to

:03:41. > :03:50.coach Czechs. She practices at a very famous club over there. Hanna

:03:51. > :04:40.Mandlikova, who I saw today. Lovely point from Kerber, said up by

:04:41. > :04:42.the serve. Yeah, always looking for that forehand, it's the natural shot

:04:43. > :05:04.for her. Clever pattern they for the German.

:05:05. > :05:08.You really want to try and get it away from the forehand, because

:05:09. > :05:26.she'll just control the point with it.

:05:27. > :05:37.Double enough from Kerber puddling what for her was a very poor service

:05:38. > :05:44.game. Krystina Pliskova has now had her coach on as much as she can in

:05:45. > :05:49.this match. A lot of the top players, particularly leading up to

:05:50. > :05:50.a Grand Slam, they like to have their coaches on, because you can't

:05:51. > :06:56.have them on in a Grand Slam event. That is an opportunity. Did so well

:06:57. > :07:24.on the return of serve. Hence the foot stamp.

:07:25. > :08:14.Ace number 11. In the Australian Open, she fired down 31 in one

:08:15. > :08:17.match, against Monica Puig. That is demoralising, isn't it, if you're

:08:18. > :08:48.Monica Puig?! Krystina Pliskova keeps her nose in

:08:49. > :08:54.front in this deciding set. The crowd enjoying themselves, a little

:08:55. > :08:58.bit more wrapped up than they were at the start of the week. But we're

:08:59. > :09:01.hearing that the weather forecast for the rest of the day, I don't

:09:02. > :09:10.want to tempt fate, but it is OK, it is all right. We will take all

:09:11. > :09:16.right! We will! There's a little bit more of a breeze blowing. They were

:09:17. > :09:18.chatting this morning about the moisture, because there was a fair

:09:19. > :09:23.amount of moisture which actually got onto the court yesterday. In

:09:24. > :09:28.terms of how the players react, will they have to adjust anything ahead

:09:29. > :09:35.of going out onto court, because the conditions, in terms of footwear

:09:36. > :09:40.or...? Well, they are all wearing grass court shoes, which have little

:09:41. > :09:50.temples on the bottom, which hopes you move about the court. -- little

:09:51. > :09:54.pimples. You cannot have anything around the front of the shoe,

:09:55. > :09:59.because it rips the court up. Back in the day, people like Virginia

:10:00. > :10:05.Wade used to wear socks on the top of their shoes, to get to be able to

:10:06. > :10:08.stand up on the court. But no, they will know that the bones will be

:10:09. > :10:13.lower come they will just have to get their knees down, sing their

:10:14. > :10:17.hips and just be prepared to work a little harder with their legs. --

:10:18. > :10:39.sink their hips. It is a dangerous time in this match

:10:40. > :10:42.for either player to switch off, because both have the firepower to

:10:43. > :10:43.make the breakthrough. One bad service game for either player could

:10:44. > :10:50.be enough at this stage. And the door just opens a little

:10:51. > :12:56.tiny bit. With that serve out wide, Kerber

:12:57. > :13:03.slams the door shut. The winner will face the Spanish player Lara

:13:04. > :13:06.Arruabarrena re-round 16, and some players could find themselves

:13:07. > :13:11.playing two matches today. Which is not ideal, but on grass, it's not a

:13:12. > :13:12.problem. The more minutes you can get on this surface before

:13:13. > :13:52.Wimbledon, the better. The depth on the shots of Kerber. Is

:13:53. > :13:55.going to be interesting for Pliskova, in her development, as

:13:56. > :14:00.soon as she pushed into the corners, she doesn't have a shot out of

:14:01. > :14:01.there, she doesn't have the defence from those difficult parts of the

:14:02. > :14:32.court. But you allow her to step up the

:14:33. > :14:36.court, and give her the short ball, she can be very dangerous. Humby

:14:37. > :14:42.she's always going to play matches on her terms. As soon she has to run

:14:43. > :15:07.about and defend, she looks like a completely different player.

:15:08. > :15:29.I am really surprised that the warning came right there, and I

:15:30. > :15:35.didn't hear a soft warning from the umpire, unless I missed it. Well, it

:15:36. > :16:55.has fired her up on the next two points.

:16:56. > :17:06.Good defence from Krystina Pliskova, deserves a fist pump, because she's

:17:07. > :17:13.held serve and she edges ahead in this deciding set. Because this

:17:14. > :17:18.grass court season is so small, they do want as many games as possible.

:17:19. > :17:22.It's not about resting. It's about getting onto these courts, playing

:17:23. > :17:28.competitive matches and getting yourself into the best state of mind

:17:29. > :17:33.possible ahead of Wimbledon. We saw a few changes at Wimbledon with the

:17:34. > :17:42.seedings with the men, but women have gone with the rankings. Yeah, I

:17:43. > :17:50.mean, Johanna Konta is seeded sixth, you're really looking to be in that

:17:51. > :17:54.top eight. But I don't think the seedings in the women's really

:17:55. > :18:00.matters any more, if you go by what's happened this year - look at

:18:01. > :18:04.the French, look at Australia. And somebody who won't be seeded is

:18:05. > :18:08.Krystina Pliskova. Whatever happens in this match, you can see in terms

:18:09. > :18:11.of her grass court play, she probably should be seeded, and she's

:18:12. > :18:16.someone that none of the top names will want to be paired with in the

:18:17. > :18:25.draw when it comes out, on Friday, I believe. Yeah, because she's got a

:18:26. > :18:33.few grass court game under her belt, this is her third grass court

:18:34. > :18:36.tournament of the season. She's had a busy day, a bee sting, a time

:18:37. > :19:01.violation. That first point when you are

:19:02. > :19:06.serving to stay in the match, I need to underline its importance three

:19:07. > :19:48.times - 0-15 puts so much pressure on the world number one.

:19:49. > :20:02.Oh! What an opportunity, once again! It is fascinating watching Krystina,

:20:03. > :20:06.just those tiny things, the feet were not quite as dynamic as they

:20:07. > :20:07.could have been, she did not get into an absolutely perfect position.

:20:08. > :20:26.It might have cost the match. Well, it's been a scrappy game from

:20:27. > :20:37.both players, a couple of opportunities wasted by Krystina

:20:38. > :20:48.Pliskova, mistake there by Kerber. But there is the perfect serve when

:20:49. > :21:02.it's needed, bringing up game point for 5-5.

:21:03. > :21:08.UMPIRE: Game, Pliskova. And an ace to seal it. And now, any pressure

:21:09. > :21:14.reverts on the older of the Pliskova sisters, who's sitting at her

:21:15. > :21:15.career-high ranking of the moment, of 44. Changed her coaching setup at

:21:16. > :22:09.the end of last year. And I think there's Krystina

:22:10. > :22:15.Pliskova in a nutshell. Its application, it's concentration. And

:22:16. > :22:16.these errors, it's going to sent her out of this tournament and less she

:22:17. > :22:39.can serve up a storm here. Two great serves, got a short high

:22:40. > :22:57.ball, found the net, triple break opportunity for Kerber.

:22:58. > :23:06.Horrible game for Krystina Pliskova. One she will want to forget in a

:23:07. > :23:12.hurry, because she's been broken to love, and it puts Angelique Kerber

:23:13. > :23:15.one game away from booking a place in the round of 16. So often we talk

:23:16. > :23:20.about the difference between the players at the very top of the game,

:23:21. > :23:23.because Krystina Pliskova has all the attributes, but it's those

:23:24. > :23:31.little things, and in this case, as you were saying, with her, it's a

:23:32. > :23:35.concentration. Yes, and the long-time coach of Angelique Kerber,

:23:36. > :23:40.what a great guy he is. I'm sure before the match, he would have

:23:41. > :23:48.said, just keep going, Angelique, maintain your focus, because the

:23:49. > :23:52.locker room knows that Krystina is a lot more up and down mentally. When

:23:53. > :24:03.she makes one poor error, they come in clusters, she's not able to reset

:24:04. > :24:08.and go again, they just seem to come and come. And that game really was

:24:09. > :24:15.thrown away, and the problem is, the locker room knows that. Karolina is

:24:16. > :24:20.also a little up and down but not in the same way as Krystina. World

:24:21. > :24:24.number one Angelique Kerber, who took a wild card into this event,

:24:25. > :24:32.her first appearance here since reaching the final in 2014. The ball

:24:33. > :24:39.kids were sowing grossed, they'd stayed out on the court watching the

:24:40. > :24:46.players have! -- the ball kids were so engrossed. Angelique Kerber had

:24:47. > :24:55.to say to the umpire, I think the ball kids need to move, I'm about to

:24:56. > :25:02.serve, I might hit one of them! Definitely focused that time! You

:25:03. > :25:06.can't really legislate for that shot, but that was just a swing, and

:25:07. > :25:13.that's what Kerber doesn't want, she wants to tie her up right here. And

:25:14. > :25:39.straightaway, at the body. Don't let those long levers...

:25:40. > :25:48.Match points, Kerber, after an hour and 33, having dropped the first

:25:49. > :25:49.set. The world number one, the wild card with a couple of points to book

:25:50. > :26:08.her place in round of 16. And there it is. Just the one match

:26:09. > :26:14.point needed for Angelique Kerber, the world number one, to book her

:26:15. > :26:20.place in the round of 16. She comes through a tricky test against

:26:21. > :26:30.fitting the Pliskova in three sets. -- against Krystina Pliskova. Great

:26:31. > :26:35.reception from the crowd for Angelique Kerber, first time back

:26:36. > :26:40.here since 2014, and importantly for her, it's her first match on grass.

:26:41. > :26:45.She pulled out of Birmingham because of hamstring trouble. She said that

:26:46. > :26:49.what she has learnt about herself in the first six months is that she

:26:50. > :26:53.needs a little bit more time to herself, away, far from the madding

:26:54. > :26:57.crowd, and everything that comes with being world number one. She

:26:58. > :27:02.could lose that ranking, depending how results go here, but she WILL be

:27:03. > :27:12.the top seed won Wimbledon starts next week. She will face Lara

:27:13. > :27:14.Arruabarrena in the next round, and very shortly, she'll be speaking to

:27:15. > :27:31.Annabel Croft. Well played, Angelique, it is the

:27:32. > :27:35.first time we have seen you on a grass court since the finals of

:27:36. > :27:38.Wimbledon - how does it feel being back on this surface again? It feels

:27:39. > :27:43.good, I think it was a good match for both of us. It's so nice to be

:27:44. > :27:48.back here in Eastbourne, I have been to the final here twice, I have so

:27:49. > :27:53.many great memories, it is always full, it's raining but everybody is

:27:54. > :27:57.here, so it's really great. It is great to have everybody supporting

:27:58. > :28:02.us during the week. It is lovely to have you back here, as you say, some

:28:03. > :28:08.fantastic memories. She made you work very, very hard - what made the

:28:09. > :28:11.difference in that final set? I think she was serving very well and

:28:12. > :28:18.I was trying to focus on my return, and at the end of the match I was

:28:19. > :28:23.playing point by point, and just trying to go for it if I have the

:28:24. > :28:26.chance. And I'm happy that I'm through. Absolutely. Many

:28:27. > :28:32.right-handers don't particularly like facing left-handed players, but

:28:33. > :28:35.how is it for a left-hander to play a lefty who also has a big serve as

:28:36. > :28:39.well? Yeah, I think it's a little bit difficult. Most of the time we

:28:40. > :28:45.are playing against right-handers, and it's not so easy to play against

:28:46. > :28:52.a lefty, especially if there are two on court. But I've played so many

:28:53. > :28:57.matches against left-handers now, so it's fine. Finally, we asked Novak

:28:58. > :29:01.how much he had been enjoying it here in Eastbourne, have you been up

:29:02. > :29:07.to Beachy Head and out on the Downs as well? Yeah, two days ago, it was

:29:08. > :29:11.really lovely weather, I walked on the beach, it is a lovely place to

:29:12. > :29:16.be, great restaurants, so it's nice to be back here. Well done today,

:29:17. > :29:19.and we really look forward to seeing you in the next round. Angelique

:29:20. > :29:24.Kerber! JOHN INVERDALE: So, the world number

:29:25. > :29:33.one into the next round, not without the odd hiccup. But she's through.

:29:34. > :29:42.It is absurd, actually, almost ridiculous, how many of the top

:29:43. > :29:48.players' names begin with the letter K. How on earth has that come to

:29:49. > :30:02.pass? Anyway, coming up next is our one.

:30:03. > :30:11.Is a superb win for Johanna Konta. Johanna Konta up next. Speaking of

:30:12. > :30:15.players whose names begin with Kei, Svetlana Kuznetsova won in three

:30:16. > :30:41.sets. -- Mladenovic as just one against Zhang

:30:42. > :30:48.of China. It was a much more ruthless contest in the second set.

:30:49. > :31:01.6-0, 6-4 was the score there. The draw looks like this currently.

:31:02. > :31:04.Kerber will now be playing Arrubarrena later today. Because of

:31:05. > :31:08.the disruption yesterday, a few people will have to play two matches

:31:09. > :31:14.in a day. Johanna Konta is included in that. Depending on how long...

:31:15. > :31:18.We're getting ahead of ourselves, but if Johanna Konta were to win,

:31:19. > :31:22.she would have the plague Jelena Ostapenko late tonight, and if that

:31:23. > :31:30.is one of those games that might be at around 7:30pm and deciding

:31:31. > :31:40.whether to go one not... That is all in the future. -- she would have to

:31:41. > :31:46.play yell a note -- she would have to play Jelena Ostapenko late night.

:31:47. > :31:55.Before that match, she had a chat about her approach to the grass

:31:56. > :31:58.court season. This is the first time lots of

:31:59. > :32:02.people will have seen you since the French Open final was the absolute

:32:03. > :32:08.heartbreak to you - how hard has it been to bounce back from that defeat

:32:09. > :32:14.to Jelena Ostapenko? It was not easy to lose that final again, but even

:32:15. > :32:20.if I am still sad, I am motivated to go through. To go through this

:32:21. > :32:24.feeling. I am motivated to start to play again and I want to have some

:32:25. > :32:30.good matches here on grass. I want to thank the tournament director for

:32:31. > :32:35.the wildcard, which is a big help. I want to enjoy and give everything I

:32:36. > :32:50.have. How much help is it having Darren Cave hill back in your camp

:32:51. > :32:58.-- Cahill back in your camp? He has just said that the attitude did not

:32:59. > :33:04.help me in Miami. I changed my attitude, and he came back. It is

:33:05. > :33:07.nice to have him back, and it gives me more confidence. That is why

:33:08. > :33:12.maybe I played so well on the clay court. I am sure that the attitude

:33:13. > :33:18.is helping me a lot, and I want just to keep it and get better as much as

:33:19. > :33:23.possible. Did you say, Darren, I have changed, come back? He saw some

:33:24. > :33:30.matches in Stuttgart, and he said I am ready to have him back. Together,

:33:31. > :33:35.a great run of form at the French Open, and now coming to Eastbourne

:33:36. > :33:39.on the grass - how does it feel to be back on grass after playing so

:33:40. > :33:45.well on the clay? It is very different, flatter and faster. I

:33:46. > :33:48.have to adapt as quickly as I can on this surface. I still have memories

:33:49. > :33:53.from last year and I know how to play. We will see what will happen.

:33:54. > :33:57.How much are you thinking about that world number one spot, so

:33:58. > :34:00.tantalisingly close, just a few hundred points between you and

:34:01. > :34:04.Angelique Kerber? If you do better than Angelique Kerber here, you

:34:05. > :34:08.could take that spot - do you think about that? I am thinking about

:34:09. > :34:12.that, and I cannot hide that I am thinking of that. It is a good

:34:13. > :34:18.challenge for me, keeps me motivated, keeps me having the

:34:19. > :34:28.desire. I wake up with that thought, and I am trying just to do the best

:34:29. > :34:34.everyday. But still, I don't want to put pressure on myself. I just take

:34:35. > :34:39.it like a big and nice goal. We have been lucky so far today, not a hint

:34:40. > :34:45.of rain. At the moment, it looks OK. They have just stopped at Wimbledon,

:34:46. > :34:51.or rather, at Roehampton, where qualifying is taking place. Several

:34:52. > :34:58.British players were in action, and here is Harriet. , who had two match

:34:59. > :35:04.points in her qualifying match and ultimately succumbed in three sets.

:35:05. > :35:09.An agonising result. You can see yourself, day by day, getting closer

:35:10. > :35:13.to the main draw, but sadly, those two match points went begging, and

:35:14. > :35:17.her dreams are vanquished for another year. She is not the only

:35:18. > :35:24.British player who has gone out in the qualifying today. There is a

:35:25. > :35:28.nice plant. I will name that plant in one. There are four British

:35:29. > :35:36.players who have lost in qualifying today. Dart was the only player to

:35:37. > :35:45.win a set. Katie Dunn came through in straight sets. Plenty to talk

:35:46. > :35:50.about with Sam Smith, who has popped over from the commentary box. First

:35:51. > :35:57.of all, Kerber, how would you assess that performance? Hit and miss? I

:35:58. > :36:00.thought she was OK. Kristyna Pliskova was a difficult opponent,

:36:01. > :36:04.with that big serve under heavy ground strokes. I think Kerber will

:36:05. > :36:08.be happy. I think it was good how she did not panic after losing the

:36:09. > :36:12.first set. It was only one break. And she was steady throughout. It

:36:13. > :36:17.was a tight match that she needed just to regroup and reset the

:36:18. > :36:21.season. Steady is one of those words that you tend to apply to Angelique

:36:22. > :36:24.Kerber. When you interviewed her earlier about being number one and

:36:25. > :36:29.how much she loves it but doesn't love it, and Simona Halep talking

:36:30. > :36:33.about how much she wants it, it is kind of like, being the world number

:36:34. > :36:36.one forces you into a place where everyone is looking and you are

:36:37. > :36:41.expected to behave in a more demonstrative manner, if you like,

:36:42. > :36:44.and that is not her. Right now, I couldn't tell you who the best

:36:45. > :36:53.player in the world is. There are quite a few characters and players

:36:54. > :37:00.who could be world number one, but the two other contenders apart from

:37:01. > :37:09.Kerber, Pliskova and Halep, they are not Kerber and they are certainly

:37:10. > :37:12.not Maria Sharapova. If one of them becomes number one, I do not know

:37:13. > :37:24.how they will handle it. Media training. Johanna Konta is about to

:37:25. > :37:29.come the court. She is from this part of the world. Here she comes. A

:37:30. > :37:35.good ovation for her. She is seeded here, but more importantly, she was

:37:36. > :37:39.seeded number six for Wimbledon next week. And the women's draw was kept

:37:40. > :37:46.pretty much as you would expect. When you look at the seeding from

:37:47. > :37:51.1-10, you can see what a fantastic draw they had here at Eastbourne. I

:37:52. > :37:57.was talking to a couple of people down below who are regular attendees

:37:58. > :38:00.at Eastbourne, and they feel that this event really is going places.

:38:01. > :38:08.It has a sense of tournament on the up. Petra Kvitova is seeded number

:38:09. > :38:12.11, and what a great story it would be if she got to the latter stages

:38:13. > :38:17.in the championship starting next week. What is your instinct about

:38:18. > :38:24.what Johanna Konta might do, and not just here but in the next few weeks?

:38:25. > :38:27.She can do well. She has played eight matches on grass, which is

:38:28. > :38:32.what you need ahead of Wimbledon. She was the 16th seed last year, and

:38:33. > :38:37.her status was changing rapidly. She made this semi-s of the Australian

:38:38. > :38:41.Open. She has had 18 months at a very high level, and I think she is

:38:42. > :38:49.expecting at least they get to the quarterfinals. Many big names will

:38:50. > :38:52.go out early at Wimbledon, there will be shocked, and there would be

:38:53. > :38:57.an opportunity for someone to take the Wimbledon title, I think. We

:38:58. > :39:06.have talked about her, so let's hear her talk about herself. I have been

:39:07. > :39:13.fortunate enough to have played this tournament for a few years now, so

:39:14. > :39:18.higher I have been able to stay at home, which is lucky. To be able to

:39:19. > :39:23.play in front of a home crowd, and also Centre Court, which is

:39:24. > :39:27.beautiful, amazing, so I am looking forward to the experience this week.

:39:28. > :39:32.I have had great matches in Nottingham, two great matches in

:39:33. > :39:36.Birmingham, so my time on the surface, I feel fortunate with that.

:39:37. > :39:40.I will be looking to stay here in Eastbourne as long as possible. I am

:39:41. > :39:46.going into the Championships and I will do the best that I can. I will

:39:47. > :39:50.definitely be hoping to make it a full two weeks, but most

:39:51. > :39:54.importantly, I will look to produce the best level I can and really

:39:55. > :39:58.compete in every match that I get to play. Hopefully, it will be seven

:39:59. > :40:03.matches. That would be very nice to be able to contend with, but first

:40:04. > :40:08.and foremost, it is important to take it one match at a time. My mind

:40:09. > :40:12.has to be in Eastbourne right now, but once we get to Wimbledon, I will

:40:13. > :40:17.be looking to prepare well for my first run. Can you profit from there

:40:18. > :40:27.being no Serena in the field? Obviously, her presence is missed.

:40:28. > :40:31.It is important to remember there have been some great champions

:40:32. > :40:35.alongside her in the last couple of years. Obviously, we have some new

:40:36. > :40:40.faces this year. I have been saying for some time that the depth in

:40:41. > :40:45.women's tennis is truly remarkable. It showcases the level of our sport

:40:46. > :40:50.in a great weight. It really shows that this is the 100 best women at

:40:51. > :40:58.this sport in the world, and that is a positive thing to see. -- in a

:40:59. > :41:01.great way. I know going into every single match that I will be faced

:41:02. > :41:07.with a very tough opponent. Everyone can play at an incredibly high level

:41:08. > :41:12.on any given day, so keeping that in mind, I need to make sure I keep

:41:13. > :41:18.improving, keep maximising everything I have. STUDIO: So,

:41:19. > :41:29.Johanna Konta is in action on Centre in Court a moment or so. Caroline

:41:30. > :41:33.Wozniacki is on Court Number Two. She is playing Naomi Akasaka. It is

:41:34. > :41:40.worth repeating what we said earlier - the wonder of Eastbourne is how

:41:41. > :41:43.close you can get to big names. Caroline Wozniacki played well in

:41:44. > :41:49.Paris, and here you are, you know, right on the courtside, seeing one

:41:50. > :41:53.of the big names in the women's game. That is what is happening on

:41:54. > :41:59.Court Number Two, as we head back to Centre Court, and Johanna Konta and

:42:00. > :42:02.her opponent is going through the last of their warm-ups. It is worth

:42:03. > :42:07.saying that there is an undercurrent of this match that goes back to a

:42:08. > :42:14.Fed cup match a couple of months ago which I am sure you have read about.

:42:15. > :42:19.There was a moment where someone said a few words that should not

:42:20. > :42:30.have been said, and it led to an unpleasant set to

:42:31. > :42:38.between Jo and her opponent. The winner of this match will play

:42:39. > :42:48.Jelena Ostapenko, the French Open champion, later tonight. As a rough

:42:49. > :42:53.guess, it is very cloudy, 17 Celsius the temperature, but that is not

:42:54. > :42:56.relevant in terms of light. It is a question of what time the match

:42:57. > :43:08.starts. If Johanna Konta can win in straight sets... But if it is three

:43:09. > :43:12.sets, it could be 7:30pm, APM before the match begins, and they may have

:43:13. > :43:23.to delay and have an early start tomorrow morning. We didn't -- 8pm.

:43:24. > :43:29.We didn't get started until a bit later today because of clearing up

:43:30. > :43:31.from last night. So far, we are uninterrupted in this fourth day of

:43:32. > :43:35.the Eastbourne Championships, and we're ready to go with the British

:43:36. > :43:39.number one in action at Eastbourne for the first time this year,

:43:40. > :43:59.watched by Sam Smith and Gigi Salmon.

:44:00. > :44:11.COMMENTATOR: There is an awful lot of tennis to fit into day-to-day --

:44:12. > :44:31.to fit in today. No breeze, very overcast, but we have tennis.

:44:32. > :44:38.John mentioned the Fed cup meeting earlier this year - this is the

:44:39. > :45:35.first tour level meeting between the two.

:45:36. > :45:44.We mentioned that the grass is a little slippy. A tumble for Johanna

:45:45. > :45:46.Konta. She looks to be OK, but that is something they will have to be

:45:47. > :45:59.wary of. And we have our first break point

:46:00. > :46:31.opportunity of the match, in the first game, on the Cirstea serve.

:46:32. > :46:36.A perfect start for the British number one, the fifth seed here.

:46:37. > :46:44.Johanna Konta are playing in her home Tom and, breaks the serve of

:46:45. > :46:50.Cirstea to lead 1-0. Welcome back to the commentary box. On your first

:46:51. > :46:53.day here, when it was bright sunshine, it took a little longer

:46:54. > :46:58.because of the picnic blankets, but what is this scene today? It is more

:46:59. > :47:03.space, but obviously there is moisture. I have to be light on my

:47:04. > :47:11.feet. You don't have pimples on your shoes? No. Jo, you might see her

:47:12. > :47:15.slipping and sliding. She likes to use traction and drive of the court,

:47:16. > :47:33.but it is hard to do that with the grass as it is at the moment.

:47:34. > :47:41.Konta, there will be some nerves having had to wait around to play

:47:42. > :47:55.this match. Someone who hits the cover off the ball...

:47:56. > :48:05.That will help Konta. She is defending semifinal points from last

:48:06. > :48:09.year when she lost a Karolina Pliskova. -- she lost to Karolina

:48:10. > :48:56.Pliskova. Cirstea has the most amazing timing,

:48:57. > :49:00.and the sound of her ball coming off the racket, you won't hear that from

:49:01. > :49:03.many players. She seems rejuvenated after a big problem with her

:49:04. > :49:40.shoulder and quite a lot of injuries in the last few seasons.

:49:41. > :49:49.Did anyone hear the call of out? UMPIRE: Someone made a sound. We

:49:50. > :50:05.will replay the point. Is not something you hear often -

:50:06. > :50:21.the line judge made a sound. Immediate break back points

:50:22. > :51:00.opportunities for Sorana Cirstea. Back-to-back double faults, which

:51:01. > :51:05.means we have two games, to make breaks, and it is 1-1 in the early

:51:06. > :51:58.stages of this second round match. -- two breaks.

:51:59. > :52:05.Sorana Cirstea has been as high as 21 in the world, though that hasn't

:52:06. > :52:09.been for a few years. Back in 2013. Currently sitting at 62 in the

:52:10. > :52:13.rankings, and got into it Eastbourne as a lucky loser, having lost

:52:14. > :52:27.initially in the final round of qualifying.

:52:28. > :52:34.She is an awful lot better than 62 in the world. She is making her way

:52:35. > :52:40.back up the rankings after the shoulder injury. You will notice she

:52:41. > :52:49.has completely modified her service action.

:52:50. > :53:01.UMPIRE: Miss Cirstea challenges the call. The call is overturned. First

:53:02. > :53:34.service. APPLAUSE

:53:35. > :53:39.For Sorana, everything is about the first ball hit, her serve and her

:53:40. > :53:43.forehand, get those two working, and even though this is not her

:53:44. > :53:58.favourite surface, the ball was too low, she is dangerous. Two good from

:53:59. > :54:02.Konta. Jo's going to have to really play some tennis. I think ideally

:54:03. > :54:06.she would like to get settled in this match, get some trading going

:54:07. > :54:31.on from the baseline. That is where this match will be won for her.

:54:32. > :54:39.Three games, three breaks, and it is Johanna Konta, British number one,

:54:40. > :54:43.fifth seed at this tournament, world number seven... You mentioned, Sam,

:54:44. > :54:49.that there might be a few nerves with Johanna Konta, playing in a

:54:50. > :54:53.home tournament. How did you feel it as a player playing in front of a

:54:54. > :54:59.home crowd? Did they get to you did you not really mind? How much of a

:55:00. > :55:03.difference can it make? I was in a different situation to Jo. She is a

:55:04. > :55:07.contender for the title, and I certainly wasn't. I was hoping to

:55:08. > :55:12.have good run. I would get beaten by one of the better names and that

:55:13. > :55:16.would have been an excellent tournament. I was enjoying the crowd

:55:17. > :55:21.support. I didn't feel that much pressure. I probably put pressure on

:55:22. > :55:25.myself to perform and play well, but that was it. I didn't have to deal

:55:26. > :55:29.with all the press, only if I had a good result. Jo has all the run-up,

:55:30. > :55:35.she is on all the posters, and that is a lot to cope with. Last year, I

:55:36. > :55:39.think, it was a real shock to her to think how much the workload off the

:55:40. > :55:43.court expands when you have success on the court and the ranking goes

:55:44. > :55:49.up. She is used to it now, and I think she has a really good system

:55:50. > :55:52.for dealing with it. Most of the top players manage their time extremely

:55:53. > :55:59.well and have people helping them to do so. I think she knows where the

:56:00. > :56:03.boundaries are. She seems to be OK, but there will be some nerves,

:56:04. > :56:10.because all eyes are on her this week. They certainly are. Heather

:56:11. > :56:20.Watson is still to play today. She had a great win here to get herself

:56:21. > :56:21.along in this competition, defeating the defending champion, Dominika

:56:22. > :57:05.Cibulkova. It is incredible, the journey that

:57:06. > :57:09.Konta has been on in such a space of time, in terms of where she was a

:57:10. > :57:51.couple of years ago. Now, she is a contender for the Wimbledon title.

:57:52. > :58:09.UMPIRE: Miss Konta is challenging the call. The call is overturned.

:58:10. > :58:33.40-15. Johanna Konta consolidates her break

:58:34. > :59:21.and edges ahead, 3-1. If Cirstea sees it, she takes it on,

:59:22. > :59:26.and there wasn't any hesitation. That is a big, heavy ball and feels

:59:27. > :59:48.like a lead weight has hit your racket when that comes at you.

:59:49. > :59:55.The start is super important for Konta, particularly against Cirstea,

:59:56. > :00:02.who gets very down on herself, likes to be a front runner and swing at

:00:03. > :00:06.the ball. She is a charming young woman, but I often feel the glass is

:00:07. > :00:36.half full. The shoulders go down very quickly.

:00:37. > :00:46.It's the first grass court event of 2017 for Cirstea, and she's matched

:00:47. > :00:50.her best here, which was from 2010. For her, it is all about where she

:00:51. > :00:56.hits the ball, she would much rather take it just below shoulder height,

:00:57. > :01:09.and not below hip height, which is what you have to do on grass.

:01:10. > :01:15.Her best results this year have come on the clay, where she's getting the

:01:16. > :01:21.ball at the height where she would like it. Quarterfinal in Istanbul,

:01:22. > :01:55.semifinal in Nuremberg. Did well in Madrid.

:01:56. > :02:02.Cirstea gets her first told of the match, the winner to face, later

:02:03. > :02:11.today, if the weather stays like, we don't get any rain, Jelena

:02:12. > :02:17.Ostapenko. If it was Cirstea against Ostapenko, I mean, that's tin hat

:02:18. > :02:24.time! We're staying in the commentary box, out of harm's way!

:02:25. > :02:31.Probably the safest place to be! Talking about Konta, it's the mental

:02:32. > :02:34.side, she seems so mentally strong, so mentally able to handle

:02:35. > :02:38.everything that's coming towards her and everything she has to deal with,

:02:39. > :02:45.which is such an important part of the modern game? I would say

:02:46. > :02:49.outwardly, yes. I think underneath, there still is that very emotional

:02:50. > :02:55.and fashion a person, who has had to work so hard to manage that part of

:02:56. > :03:00.her game. She found it very difficult in juniors, super highly

:03:01. > :03:05.strung, did lose her cool, and in the early part of her professional

:03:06. > :03:10.career, but very uptight on court. And I do by her, she has applied

:03:11. > :03:13.herself to the mental game, probably better than any other player I have

:03:14. > :03:18.seen on the tour for a very long time. It is a transformation. And it

:03:19. > :03:25.is a very interesting podcast you have done on BBC Radio 5 Live,

:03:26. > :03:29.getting to know your helicon, -- getting to know Johanna Konta,

:03:30. > :03:30.speaking to a lot of her early school teachers and coaches and it

:03:31. > :03:53.was a really interesting insight. The job for Konta right now, up a

:03:54. > :04:03.break, she's going to have to soak up a lot of pace, but she wants to

:04:04. > :04:08.stay up on her baseline, but she's happy to be trading in these

:04:09. > :04:17.baseline rallies with Cirstea, because Cirstea eventually will

:04:18. > :04:25.miss. On the right there is Andrew Fitzpatrick, a hitting partner, an

:04:26. > :04:28.English chap who used to be on the tour, and they've settled down into

:04:29. > :04:46.a really good team, actually, those three. Former coach of Simona Halep

:04:47. > :04:52.and Victoria Azarenka and others. This is really unusual for Konta,

:04:53. > :05:03.because she has one of the best second serves in the women's game.

:05:04. > :05:15.That all tossed at times just gets a little low on her. -- that ball

:05:16. > :05:35.toss. Little bit of luck, so both hands go

:05:36. > :05:49.in the air from Cirstea, giving us an opportunity to get back on serve.

:05:50. > :06:08.Service direction is going to be very important here for Johanna

:06:09. > :06:12.Konta. Tie her up to the body, and then swing one out to the flanks,

:06:13. > :06:28.but just don't let Cirstea get into any kind of return with. Perfect! Jo

:06:29. > :06:32.was, I would say, very thoughtful on serve, she seems to have a very good

:06:33. > :06:35.idea of if the first serve percentage is dropping, and that

:06:36. > :06:38.happens, she just pulls back a little trouble she manages this part

:06:39. > :08:49.of her game so well. Lovely return of serve from the

:08:50. > :08:54.Romanian. Keeps this game alive. Konta with the break advantage. The

:08:55. > :09:23.first tour level meeting between these two.

:09:24. > :10:07.Lovely play from Konta! Says a couple of break and holes serve.

:10:08. > :10:12.Shows someone who normally doesn't find herself at the net, she

:10:13. > :10:19.overcome its, it just went all wrong! It's a good sign from Jo,

:10:20. > :10:24.very solid scrub up you can't take anything for granted in women's

:10:25. > :10:43.matches, but she should be too consistent for Cirstea scrub.

:10:44. > :10:50.Cirstea has done really well, because she went down to around 250

:10:51. > :10:57.in the rankings, and when you're at that level, you have to go back to

:10:58. > :11:02.the bottom rung. It shows the desire. Actually, it's almost like a

:11:03. > :11:05.second career for her. Instead of going down to Australia, where she

:11:06. > :11:10.would normally go, for many years, and forget, she was a French Open

:11:11. > :11:11.quarterfinalist at 19 years of age, she was going to be the star of

:11:12. > :11:29.Romanian tennis. That's great, that's the play from

:11:30. > :11:33.Konta. Doesn't give a lot of angle. As I was saying, you're not going

:11:34. > :11:40.down to the glamorous world of Melbourne, she was in South America,

:11:41. > :11:43.playing $25,000 events, really small events. It helped that her boyfriend

:11:44. > :11:49.was a South American, that took some of the pain away, but that's not

:11:50. > :11:51.where you want to be. Are really gutsy effort in qualifying through

:11:52. > :12:09.some of those smaller tour events and being back here.

:12:10. > :12:19.She's striking the ball well, but I'd say she's allowing Jo Konta to

:12:20. > :12:23.lean on that crosscourt backhand, and that's such a big shot for the

:12:24. > :12:58.British number one. She's never going to miss that one.

:12:59. > :13:04.There's the backhand crosscourt doing the damage, forcing the error

:13:05. > :13:08.from Cirstea. It's another break of serve for Johanna Konta, the British

:13:09. > :13:17.number one, and it puts her to within one game of the first set,

:13:18. > :13:21.after 29 minutes. It was interesting for me finding out a bit more about

:13:22. > :13:33.Johanna Konta. As we have a listen to our Romanian friends.

:13:34. > :13:49.So, the Romanian team talk will continue. Johanna Konta, people

:13:50. > :13:55.think she came from nowhere and suddenly she's here. But she was

:13:56. > :14:00.saying, I have wanted to be number one since I was a child. She said

:14:01. > :14:05.she was waking her father up as a child at 5am to go running. It's

:14:06. > :14:09.admirable - I don't want my children to do that, but it's admirable of

:14:10. > :14:14.Konta and it showed where she wanted to go from a very early age. To be

:14:15. > :14:19.at the very top of the game, you need to have that. You do, and where

:14:20. > :14:23.I really admire her is, that desire has never wavered. You think of all

:14:24. > :14:27.the distractions you have growing up, as a teenager, there might be

:14:28. > :14:33.other things that interest you. And she has been relentless towards the

:14:34. > :14:37.goal. She's not there yet, number one, and Grand Slams, that's the

:14:38. > :14:44.endgame for her, and she's still is focused as she was, that

:14:45. > :14:49.five-year-old, getting up at 5am! That seems a bit young, going for a

:14:50. > :15:13.run as a five-year-old. Let's say eight, better?!

:15:14. > :15:26.Everybody says how hard she works but why doesn't everybody work as

:15:27. > :15:28.hard as Jo? As you touched on, it's the sacrifices you've got to make

:15:29. > :15:40.along the way. That ball toss is getting a little

:15:41. > :15:44.long. It is funny how the media talk about sacrifices. When you are

:15:45. > :15:46.following your dream it does not feel like it in any sense because

:15:47. > :16:13.this is what you want to do. Have lacked, said Konta. You saw the

:16:14. > :16:19.dynamic first step, the daily work that she does. She practices that

:16:20. > :16:22.first move, before and after the session. She probably does it in her

:16:23. > :16:41.sleep. It's a real priority. It's not just on court and around

:16:42. > :16:53.the practice courts. In every aspect of her life she is disciplined and

:16:54. > :16:55.hard-working and meticulous. That is the difference with Jo and a lot of

:16:56. > :17:21.other players on the tour. With that it is the first set point

:17:22. > :18:02.of the match for Konta. 34 minutes on the clock. Konta takes

:18:03. > :18:08.the first set comfortably. I don't know if this is a question you can

:18:09. > :18:14.answer. How good do you think she can be? She is a top 20 player and

:18:15. > :18:54.probably maxed out on where she's going to go. What is your view?

:18:55. > :19:08.Some of the best parts of that first set. Jo is still improving. There's

:19:09. > :19:11.a lot more room for improvement but she is devoted daily to looking at

:19:12. > :19:18.every aspect of her game and making it better. Coming forward is another

:19:19. > :19:25.area. She's so good from the baseline and she's always working on

:19:26. > :19:29.her movement. I don't think she sees any ceiling to where she can go and

:19:30. > :19:33.it is not about how good she could be, it's about getting better.

:19:34. > :19:47.Improving something. That's what she does. I can see all that work, and

:19:48. > :19:55.she was explosive. That has come on in the last 12 months. She's got a

:19:56. > :21:15.check list. She's got lots of problems because

:21:16. > :21:19.when the rally goes over 4-5 shots she keeps hitting harder and harder.

:21:20. > :21:21.She is either going to hit a winner or she's going to do it more times

:21:22. > :21:42.often than not. Konta is using the pace of the

:21:43. > :21:48.Cirstea bowled really well. The problem is you don't get a change in

:21:49. > :21:58.flight. With Konta you do but she's adding more layers to her game.

:21:59. > :22:08.What I would say is what Cirstea does is excellent. She can beat a

:22:09. > :22:17.lot of very good players when it is all working well. The timing, I

:22:18. > :22:39.don't know if you can teach that. It's just something that she has.

:22:40. > :23:36.It came about from a cracking return of serve.

:23:37. > :23:44.The second service just a slightly slower version of the first. She

:23:45. > :23:49.always comes on the outside of the ball. It's quite effective on a

:23:50. > :23:54.grass court where it skips through, not sure where it's going to go, she

:23:55. > :23:56.doesn't have a good kicker, and I don't think you need it on a grass

:23:57. > :24:40.court, personally. Hugely important first service game.

:24:41. > :25:34.It has been five minutes. Jo nearly got a read on that because

:25:35. > :25:37.so many of Cirstea's go swinging out wide. It always seems to slice at

:25:38. > :26:01.it. And so the first game of the second

:26:02. > :26:11.set goes on. Break point opportunity for the

:26:12. > :27:52.British number one. That expression there says to me,

:27:53. > :27:52.what do I need to do to win a point? You-10-mac is relentless, she's

:27:53. > :28:28.making so tough. That Jo. So aggressive from Konta. She's good

:28:29. > :28:30.to watch because any time Jo has a chance to attack she does. She's got

:28:31. > :28:56.aggression from both wings. Superb from Konta. The late for her

:28:57. > :29:03.camp. She leads by a game to love. No going back to the bench. Konta is

:29:04. > :29:09.very meticulous. If she does something, she keeps doing

:29:10. > :29:22.something. She's in no rush, she is under control. Nice place to be. The

:29:23. > :29:28.second serve, a few doubles being thrown in there. Apart from that, a

:29:29. > :30:00.very clean set of tennis. Konta will be the sixth seed at

:30:01. > :30:05.Wimbledon. Seedings are the same as the rankings minus Serena Williams,

:30:06. > :30:34.currently on maternity leave. Very good player, and has played

:30:35. > :30:38.some high-level tennis, but I feel like she's playing individually good

:30:39. > :30:52.points but not gaining any territory.

:30:53. > :31:05.That was a real play and then challenge. She was having none of

:31:06. > :31:45.it. She walked straight over to serve to the other court.

:31:46. > :31:57.This is playing into contact's hand. I don't think there's any compromise

:31:58. > :32:08.at all. Had a swing at everything. Even if it's not on. There is an ace

:32:09. > :32:18.and consolidation of the break. Going along nicely. Third grass

:32:19. > :32:26.court event for her. Runner-up in Nottingham, losing out. She's got

:32:27. > :33:13.another big hitter against her. If you're going to make a challenge

:33:14. > :33:23.you need to stop immediately, which is what she did. She was right to do

:33:24. > :33:47.so. First double fault of the match for

:33:48. > :34:28.the Romanian. A couple more opportunities to edge

:34:29. > :34:32.even further ahead and get a double break. If she was not in control

:34:33. > :35:22.before this she would be after. Good work from Konta. She leads by a

:35:23. > :35:32.set and three games to love. Before the match we touched on the Fed cup

:35:33. > :35:37.tie and the fallout, it was during a match with Cirstea where Konta was

:35:38. > :35:41.very upset, and Cirstea said she would not have cried. Do you think

:35:42. > :35:48.any of that would have come into this match? As players was that a

:35:49. > :35:52.heat of the moment, an unpleasant situation but that was then and now

:35:53. > :36:01.they are back on to this? You cannot see it in the game but would they

:36:02. > :36:07.have brought any of that out here? It doesn't look to be the case. It

:36:08. > :36:14.was back in early April. Emotions could not have frozen -- spilled

:36:15. > :36:22.over anymore. That was crazy. But this is the tour, we are on the

:36:23. > :36:30.grass. I don't think there's any animosity, I think Cirstea knows

:36:31. > :36:43.that she's not playing at a high enough level. Jo might play the odd

:36:44. > :36:46.point badly here and there, but every time she steps on the court

:36:47. > :36:51.you know what you're going to get from Jo and there are is no letup.

:36:52. > :38:23.You've got to match her in intensity and very few can.

:38:24. > :38:31.That might be the pressure that Jo is feeling behind that serve and is

:38:32. > :38:34.why she is three points behind. But she has maintained a very high first

:38:35. > :38:37.serve percentage and you've just got to accept that it will happen from

:38:38. > :38:53.time to time. Jo is very good at putting things to

:38:54. > :39:56.one side, putting things quickly in the past.

:39:57. > :40:03.Such has been the depth and the length of the ground strokes,

:40:04. > :40:10.there's been the rare occasion where they've lent on the shots. She's

:40:11. > :40:12.been pinned back and under so much pressure, and really hasn't had this

:40:13. > :41:28.time to swing very often. Good play. A point to consolidate

:41:29. > :41:34.the second break. I'm so impressed with the movement and the balance.

:41:35. > :41:37.The first step. Just how in control she is of her game out here. She's

:41:38. > :41:50.managing on the surface. There it is, a lovely point off the

:41:51. > :42:14.serve. A little cry from the crowd. I'm

:42:15. > :42:23.sure her coach is loving what she's right now.

:42:24. > :43:57.We saw a slip at the early stages of this match. There is so much

:43:58. > :44:05.moisture. There is the feeling that it could rain at any moment. That

:44:06. > :44:09.there could be a downpour. We are still in the afternoon but in the

:44:10. > :44:19.next couple of hours you will get a lovely evening dew. The court will

:44:20. > :44:21.become quite difficult to play on. I'm a woman who never leaves the

:44:22. > :44:47.house without an umbrella. The British number one has a double

:44:48. > :44:55.break and Leeds. At the school as it is at the moment. What changes have

:44:56. > :45:13.you seen? Here is a man who has coached the likes of Halep. What

:45:14. > :45:19.changes have you seen? None, really. How do you think he has helped? He's

:45:20. > :45:36.helped her stay calm. Yes, I think he has really helped

:45:37. > :45:42.her work on staying calm in matches and continually excellent work from

:45:43. > :45:47.her previous Spanish coach. He made the most enormous impact. There are

:45:48. > :45:55.little things that outside the camp, it is impossible to know about. It

:45:56. > :45:57.is continuing the work. I think he would have helped with certain

:45:58. > :46:03.opponents in the upper echelons, particularly working with Victoria

:46:04. > :46:08.Azarenka, giving her heads up on things she had not noticed about the

:46:09. > :46:13.top players. There is not a lot to change. I do think he's got her to

:46:14. > :46:18.cut out some of those drop shots, which I'm very pleased to see.

:46:19. > :46:31.Little things. It can make all the difference.

:46:32. > :46:39.French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko awaits the winner, weather

:46:40. > :47:44.permitting, later today. Two titles for Konta initiate,

:47:45. > :47:50.Sydney at the start of the year and Miami. A big win in Miami, Caroline

:47:51. > :48:04.Wozniacki in the final. The final on grass in Nottingham.

:48:05. > :48:12.A love hold, Konta, one game away from a round of 16 meeting with

:48:13. > :49:23.French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

:49:24. > :49:30.Joanna Konta has been very accurate out here this afternoon and without

:49:31. > :49:34.having to hit the lines, I don't feel at any point she is going to

:49:35. > :49:36.miss. The ground strokes on the way the ball is coming off her racket,

:49:37. > :49:54.she will be very happy. And if she is not, there is

:49:55. > :49:57.something wrong. The danger when you play Cirstea, it can become a

:49:58. > :50:03.slugfest. You try to hit the ball harder than she does, and that is

:50:04. > :50:10.not good if you want to beat the remaining. Jo has done such a good

:50:11. > :50:28.job of absorbing the pace out here -- if you want to beat the Romanian.

:50:29. > :51:20.This Konta has two challenges remaining.

:51:21. > :51:27.It is interesting when Cirstea can pick the ball off the baseline and

:51:28. > :51:31.get on her front foot how dangerous these strikes can be. We have not

:51:32. > :51:33.seen her get up the Court Two finish off too many shots and that is

:51:34. > :51:54.because Konta has been so good. Perfect placement from the remaining

:51:55. > :52:01.and it keeps the match alive. And very shortly, it will be Johanna

:52:02. > :52:05.Konta serving for a place in the round of 16, a meeting with Jelena

:52:06. > :52:11.Ostapenko. Konta with semifinal points to defend from last year. I

:52:12. > :52:14.thought it was interesting and I think this goes for most people when

:52:15. > :52:20.you get asked about favourites for Wimbledon and maybe this title, it

:52:21. > :52:25.doesn't come down to a couple. I'll has to force a body had of the

:52:26. > :52:30.French Open and they gave me 15 names, -- I did ask somebody. They

:52:31. > :52:34.can't even say ten, they could not narrow it down any less than 15.

:52:35. > :52:37.Take out somebody like Serena Williams who has been so dominant

:52:38. > :52:43.force along and Maria Sharapova is still working backhand Victoria

:52:44. > :52:49.Azarenka returned after maternity leave. Take out the big names who

:52:50. > :52:54.have win these prizes and it opens up so wide. For the Wimbledon title,

:52:55. > :52:59.how many names, what kind of number in terms of people that could take

:53:00. > :53:07.the title? I think 15 is a good number! There are fewer players that

:53:08. > :53:14.can win because not as many players are as comfortable playing on clay

:53:15. > :53:21.as they are on grass. So I would say ten. You have reduced it by five!

:53:22. > :53:27.That is incredible, but exciting. These players, Jelena Ostapenko who

:53:28. > :53:30.we watched win the French Open title, looking at her. Petra Kvitova

:53:31. > :53:36.winning the title recently on grass, we know what she can do. It just

:53:37. > :53:41.makes it so exciting at the moment. And Johanna Konta goes into the

:53:42. > :53:54.Wimbledon is the sixth seed. 5-2, serving for the match.

:53:55. > :54:03.This court is just getting a little more difficult to play on. Starting

:54:04. > :54:10.to be a little slippy and Jo is having some problems. She likes to

:54:11. > :56:02.set and the push of the court. You have to dance on the grass.

:56:03. > :56:11.After one hour and 11 minutes on court, it is match point for British

:56:12. > :56:17.number one Johanna Konta. Weather permitting, she will have to play a

:56:18. > :56:30.round of 60 much later today. -- round of 16 match.

:56:31. > :56:36.There it is! What a way to finish things off, Johanna Konta! What a

:56:37. > :56:42.good afternoon's work for the British number one. Making light

:56:43. > :56:54.work of the Romanian Sorana Cirstea. One hour and 12 minutes is the final

:56:55. > :56:59.time, 6-2, 6-2 on the scoreboard. The crowd on their feet for Johanna

:57:00. > :57:03.Konta. She talks about her love of this tournament and going home and

:57:04. > :57:06.sleeping in her own bed at night, something tennis players rarely get

:57:07. > :57:10.to do throughout the year. This is the Godin -- golden time when they

:57:11. > :57:16.can be at home and feel normal waking up in their own beds. Job

:57:17. > :57:22.done it for Johanna Konta. Jelena Ostapenko next. Semifinalists last

:57:23. > :57:27.year, Konta. The seventh best player in the world, the fifth seed here,

:57:28. > :57:32.already into one final in Nottingham. Early exit at Birmingham

:57:33. > :57:35.got people talking about how she was playing on the grass and how she

:57:36. > :57:39.handled the big hitting opponents, but no problem today against the big

:57:40. > :57:42.hitting Sorana Cirstea of Romania. She dealt with her constantly and

:57:43. > :57:51.she did what she needed to do and the result means she boxed her place

:57:52. > :57:53.in the round of 16 at Eastbourne. Johanna Konta is your winner, with

:57:54. > :58:00.Annabel Croft. Well played come up against a

:58:01. > :58:05.dangerous opponent and on fire dropping four games. Your thoughts

:58:06. > :58:10.on the match? Sorana is a dangerous player and has beaten great players

:58:11. > :58:15.over the year and I knew it would be tough. She played a couple of

:58:16. > :58:19.matches here in Eastbourne and she had more match routine. I was just

:58:20. > :58:24.looking forward to coming back out here on this court and playing in

:58:25. > :58:27.front of you lot! Looking like I will get to come back again in a

:58:28. > :58:31.little bit of time if the weather holds up. But I'm really happy with

:58:32. > :58:35.the way I was able to maintain my level throughout the match. You just

:58:36. > :58:39.mentioned you have had a lot of success on this court in the past,

:58:40. > :58:43.how special is it to be playing here in your hometown, in front of your

:58:44. > :58:53.home crowd and home fans here? It is really special to me. I feel at home

:58:54. > :58:56.here. It is something that not many players get to experience, and I get

:58:57. > :58:58.to do that every year, so I feel very fortunate and hopefully I will

:58:59. > :59:03.be playing in front of you lot to the entire week! I'm sure they would

:59:04. > :59:06.like that. Have you enjoyed your mother's home cooking? I definitely

:59:07. > :59:11.have enjoyed staying at home and sleeping on my own bed. You will be

:59:12. > :59:14.against French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, your thoughts about

:59:15. > :59:21.facing her? I played her once before this year during the set Cup and

:59:22. > :59:24.that was an indoor hard surface, so a different surface here. -- the

:59:25. > :59:29.FedEx Cup. She's coming in with a lot of confidence and match routine.

:59:30. > :59:35.What she has achieved is absolutely incredible so looking forward to

:59:36. > :59:38.playing at Grand Slam champion and looking forward to competing.

:59:39. > :59:43.Everybody here is looking forward to it as well, we wish you the best of

:59:44. > :59:46.luck. Thank you very much, Johanna Konta.

:59:47. > :59:51.Resounding chant for Johanna Konta and a quick shower, relax, isotonic

:59:52. > :59:56.drink and banana, back on court against Jelena Ostapenko later

:59:57. > :00:05.tonight. While she goes through safely, a former grand slam champion

:00:06. > :00:06.has just gone out. Garbine Muguruza beaten by Barbora Strycova of the

:00:07. > :00:14.Czech Republic. Her form typical of so many of the

:00:15. > :00:19.big names in the women's game and this is not the preparation she

:00:20. > :00:27.would want for Wimbledon next week. A straight sets defeat. And really

:00:28. > :00:31.good game taking place on Court Two between Naomi Osaka of Japan and

:00:32. > :00:35.Caroline Wozniacki. Caroline Wozniacki winning the first set and

:00:36. > :00:45.leading 5-4. It is on serve. Japanese player serving at 15-15 and

:00:46. > :00:47.stomping a volley on the net. So Wozniacki two points away from

:00:48. > :00:53.winning and going through to the next round. So when is and losers on

:00:54. > :00:59.a day when we have had a full set of play. A couple of raindrops, not

:01:00. > :01:03.wanting to be the harbinger of doom. But they have stopped now so maybe

:01:04. > :01:13.all is well. Those are the winners today. I think the winner of the

:01:14. > :01:21.second match was Svetlana Kuznetsova. Also going through,

:01:22. > :01:23.Elena Vesnina. And looking in impressive form, Kristina

:01:24. > :01:29.Mladenovic. We could have a very late finish and Heather Watson is in

:01:30. > :01:33.action in the fourth match on Court Number One. This is her practising

:01:34. > :01:38.earlier today. And talking about players having an up and down year,

:01:39. > :01:42.you feel Heather is on the way up. Especially because a couple of days

:01:43. > :01:50.ago here, at Eastbourne, she beat the defending champion ten --

:01:51. > :01:53.Dominika Cibulkova. It was a performance where you thought this

:01:54. > :02:02.was Heather as she can be, smiling and bouncy and raring to go and

:02:03. > :02:06.seizing the opportunity. The crowd was amazing and the atmosphere. It

:02:07. > :02:10.just makes it so fun as a player to be out there playing in that

:02:11. > :02:15.environment. I absolutely love it and I thrive on it. And I was just

:02:16. > :02:21.grateful for everybody that came out today and supported the players. Do

:02:22. > :02:25.you feel you have turned your season around in 24 hours? Two big wins

:02:26. > :02:30.after a disappointing run of results. Yes, absolutely. Last year,

:02:31. > :02:34.I have not had the result are wanted. The last couple of months, I

:02:35. > :02:39.felt in a better place. My game is coming together and I have got

:02:40. > :02:43.coaches now and just waiting for the winds to come because I feel my

:02:44. > :02:48.tennis has been there. Do you feel you need to be at Wimbledon, at a

:02:49. > :02:51.Grand Slam days before to get some practice on the ports? I think the

:02:52. > :02:57.most important thing for me is getting matches and getting a win

:02:58. > :03:01.under my belt because that gives me confidence. That prepares me the

:03:02. > :03:05.best four Grand Slams. And of course I want to stay here as long as

:03:06. > :03:09.possible, and I don't need just practice because that is what I have

:03:10. > :03:13.been doing the entire year! Heather plays Anastasia

:03:14. > :03:20.Pavlyuchenkova later tonight, not sure, caught one of running late

:03:21. > :03:24.today. -- Court Number One. But you will be able to see it later,

:03:25. > :03:29.probably in the capable hands of Sam Smith. It is going to be a long day,

:03:30. > :03:35.but you are paid by the word! I wish I was, I'm not going to be able to

:03:36. > :03:39.swim Goodnight! It is great, 17 degrees outside and 18 degrees in

:03:40. > :03:43.the water, so that is the place to be. Heather against Anastasia

:03:44. > :03:49.Pavlyuchenkova is an interesting match. Yes, we thought Anastasia

:03:50. > :03:53.Pavlyuchenkova would be a grand slam champion because she was such a

:03:54. > :03:57.fantastic Junior and she has not delivered on that potential.

:03:58. > :04:01.Suddenly realising in her mid-20s the time is running out and she has

:04:02. > :04:05.to get her act together, and she has done this year. You don't know what

:04:06. > :04:10.you will get when she goes out on court. And Heather has had a rotten

:04:11. > :04:15.12 months with injury and results and losing matches she should have

:04:16. > :04:19.win and when you win big matches, you get such a rising confidence.

:04:20. > :04:24.Heather looks as we are used to have the looking, and she has not for

:04:25. > :04:27.quite some time. Going back to Joanna Konta, she was ruthless in

:04:28. > :04:32.elements of that match today. I would not want to play Johanna

:04:33. > :04:37.Konta. If you look at Jo, she's not hitting winners all over the place,

:04:38. > :04:40.but everything is so solid and consistent and relentless. She

:04:41. > :04:45.played a couple of bad points in the entire match. The locker room knows

:04:46. > :04:50.that now and the players think, I have got to play unbelievably well

:04:51. > :04:54.to compete with Jo. Jo has got a lot of the tour in a headlock because

:04:55. > :04:57.they don't want to play her. A lot of people think Jo Konta might win

:04:58. > :05:01.Wimbledon and they think that because the way these things

:05:02. > :05:06.sometimes go, people go, it is an anniversary and you can see the

:05:07. > :05:11.headlines. 40 years on from Virginia, this could be Jo's year.

:05:12. > :05:32.It was quite a fairy tale, in many ways.

:05:33. > :05:42.Wimbledon has taken up so much of my life one way or another. It has been

:05:43. > :05:48.the highlight of every year since I was 15 years old. And it still is.

:05:49. > :05:56.And you arrange your entire schedule around Wimbledon. That is it! I

:05:57. > :05:59.played it to so many times and every time you look forward to it and

:06:00. > :06:06.virtually every time, you are disappointed. That was a very big

:06:07. > :06:14.year for the Queen and for Britain. Everybody in England had parties. It

:06:15. > :06:18.was the silver jubilee. It was such an emotional year for everybody. It

:06:19. > :06:22.was cool because she was dressed in the same colour as my cardigan! That

:06:23. > :06:32.was the biggest good omen that I had. I honestly felt that it was my

:06:33. > :06:36.tournament to win. I felt I had done a lot of good work and I thought she

:06:37. > :06:47.almost could not beat me. The satisfaction was just humongous.

:06:48. > :06:52.After you have had a success like that, especially when it has taken a

:06:53. > :06:57.long time getting there, I think the reward is that much greater. It just

:06:58. > :07:06.feels like you set out to do something and you did it. Any time I

:07:07. > :07:09.go to Wimbledon, I would have two go on Centre Court and make sure the

:07:10. > :07:17.grass was perfect and say hello to the ghosts out there, it is a very

:07:18. > :07:23.special place. 5:20pm on BBC One on Sunday, 90

:07:24. > :07:27.years of Wimbledon. The pictures are amazing because the Queen and the

:07:28. > :07:33.Duke of Edinburgh are still going strong after 40 years and I had to

:07:34. > :07:40.see who was top seed, and it was Chrissie Everett and Martina was the

:07:41. > :07:48.two, it was Virginia's year. And these are the seedings for next

:07:49. > :07:52.week. Number three is Karolina Pliskova, not that that means

:07:53. > :07:55.anything. We have said it repeatedly, so many players apart

:07:56. > :08:01.from two have been competing here at Wimbledon and you realise the

:08:02. > :08:06.Eastbourne tournament this year has a stronger field than ever before.

:08:07. > :08:13.And other things elsewhere in the schedule mean that at number 11 is

:08:14. > :08:24.Petra Kvitova. Jelena Ostapenko is 12. Garbine Muguruza has lost today.

:08:25. > :08:32.There are players like Lucie Safarova, it is a strong draw. You

:08:33. > :08:35.look at Garbine Muguruza losing in straight sets today, is that

:08:36. > :08:40.symptomatic of what has been happening in the game in six months?

:08:41. > :08:42.Yes, maybe longer than that, nobody expected Angelique Kerber to be

:08:43. > :08:49.World Number 1 and that shook the tour to its foundations. And many

:08:50. > :08:53.more players now going into Wimbledon, if they were ranked 60 or

:08:54. > :08:56.70 a couple of years ago, they might be thinking subconsciously a couple

:08:57. > :09:00.of rounds and it is a good tournament. Now they think, why can

:09:01. > :09:06.I not winners? That puts the top players and are so many -- under so

:09:07. > :09:09.much pressure because when you use to face the likes of Martina

:09:10. > :09:14.Navratilova, you pretty much lost the first set before you got out on

:09:15. > :09:19.court. That is not the case now. The victory of Jelena Ostapenko in

:09:20. > :09:25.France makes anybody in the top 40 or 50 think they could go a long way

:09:26. > :09:28.in the draw, irrespective of the draw, and financially that is a

:09:29. > :09:32.massive incentive. I think the dynamic has changed. I find it so

:09:33. > :09:38.strange now because in the locker room when I was playing in the late

:09:39. > :09:42.1980s and the 1990s, the aura around Steffi Graf, you hardly saw her,

:09:43. > :09:48.like a ghost, she would win in one hour and she would leave. And

:09:49. > :09:54.Martina. They were untouchable. They had this incredible confidence.

:09:55. > :09:57.Serena Williams has that as Maria Sharapova has that. A lot of the top

:09:58. > :10:02.players now don't have that. They are not too nice, but almost too

:10:03. > :10:06.human and they are too regular of court. That has an impact on the

:10:07. > :10:13.lower ranked players and they think they can win. I wish I could play

:10:14. > :10:19.now! Steffi Graf, the she have a special pack, almost a shield around

:10:20. > :10:28.her, or what she won of the gang but not there very often? No, if Steefi

:10:29. > :10:33.was in a corner of the locker room or Martina, that was her place and

:10:34. > :10:40.you would steer away from it -- three. The top players dominated of

:10:41. > :10:43.court as well. They would not be cold, but they lived on a different

:10:44. > :10:51.planet. You would be too frightened to speak to them. Maria and Serena

:10:52. > :10:57.have that sort of effect these days. So the likes of Angelique Kerber do

:10:58. > :11:01.lose to those players without their talent because they don't have the

:11:02. > :11:09.ability to intimidate people. Angelique Kerber is a wonderful

:11:10. > :11:13.player, but she is beatable. And in the great days when Serena was World

:11:14. > :11:18.Number 1 and I still feel she is the best player in the world, you feel,

:11:19. > :11:23.what do I have to do to beat them? Nobody knew what to do. They feel

:11:24. > :11:27.unbeatable. On a different plane. That is not the case at the moment

:11:28. > :11:32.in women's tennis. Is there a flyer at Wimbledon by Jelena Ostapenko at

:11:33. > :11:36.Roland Garros that you can see coming through from the middle ranks

:11:37. > :11:43.to go a long way? Did anybody see Ostapenko in Paris? I feel that our

:11:44. > :11:50.players like Coke of underweight and if she gets it together could be

:11:51. > :11:57.super dangerous. But it would not be beyond the realms of possibility

:11:58. > :12:01.somebody just comes in. Anybody. That is the extraordinary

:12:02. > :12:14.conversation we keep having. Can I throw another name at you? A player

:12:15. > :12:18.who can pick up cheap serves. We saw in the Harris that the early rounds

:12:19. > :12:24.of the women's matches, bear with three sets always pushed, the top

:12:25. > :12:28.players having to battle -- we saw in Paris. That was not the case a

:12:29. > :12:33.couple of years ago. It is a different dynamic now. It is not any

:12:34. > :12:37.better or any worse, it is different. We need some rivalries

:12:38. > :12:41.and big superstars in women's tennis, but we are going through a

:12:42. > :12:47.transition. It is different and very hard to be a pundit because you get

:12:48. > :12:52.it wrong all the no easy game for Caroline Wozniacki because it is

:12:53. > :12:57.five all and dues on Caroline Wozniacki serve after winning

:12:58. > :13:00.against Osaka of Japan. Contractually, we are not allowed to

:13:01. > :13:06.show you the men's tournament is taking place here this week but it

:13:07. > :13:11.has greatly enhanced the tournament and Novak Djokovic packed them out

:13:12. > :13:14.when he came through in straight sets against Vasek Pospisil and he

:13:15. > :13:19.will play again tomorrow. We will show you a big name from the women's

:13:20. > :13:25.tour, Simona Halep, playing a qualifier from China today. This

:13:26. > :13:26.match began yesterday and they came back today, this is midway through

:13:27. > :14:42.the second set. The first meeting between these two.

:14:43. > :14:49.Both making their Eastbourne debut. The player from China, SYing-Ying,

:14:50. > :14:54.she came through the qualifying tournament and came through the

:14:55. > :15:03.third -- the first set, a French Open finalist. Simona Halep I wild

:15:04. > :15:04.card entrant, and you thank the Tournament Director for allowing her

:15:05. > :16:06.to play here. It's the first grass court event of

:16:07. > :16:09.2017 for her. She needed a little bit of time to deal with the French

:16:10. > :16:21.Open final. She ended up giving the runners-up

:16:22. > :16:26.speech. She says she feels good, refreshed, had a little bit of a

:16:27. > :16:53.break, and a holiday, now she's ready for the grass.

:16:54. > :17:05.The fist pump, and rightly so from Halep, the second seed. Takes the

:17:06. > :17:11.advantage. One game from levelling things up and taking us into a

:17:12. > :17:19.decider. There is a scenario in which she could end the week as

:17:20. > :17:22.Robert Halfon. Angelique Kerber will be the top seed but the ranking

:17:23. > :17:38.could change hands -- and the week as world number one.

:17:39. > :17:48.Duan band that six foot one. Halep and her coach had a brief break but

:17:49. > :18:03.they are back working together happily.

:18:04. > :18:14.Was upset about the match, he said it was not a loss but the attitude

:18:15. > :18:20.and the feeling that she gave up. But she has shown him since that the

:18:21. > :18:23.attitude is there. She worked hard on her mentality and psychology.

:18:24. > :18:48.They got back together as a coaching unit.

:18:49. > :19:48.There he is. Tiny fist pump from Simona Halep. She's taken the set.

:19:49. > :20:04.Duan is a big hitter of the ball. Career high as 60 and if she were to

:20:05. > :20:20.beat Simona Halep, would be her first top ten career win.

:20:21. > :20:36.Two quarterfinals this year. Sydney and Kuala Lumpur. Her main strength

:20:37. > :20:51.is her power. 61, there's a lot to move around.

:20:52. > :21:06.An earlier opportunity for Simona Halep to get the advantage in this

:21:07. > :21:47.set. Around 17-18d. Not much of a breeze around.

:21:48. > :21:55.Lovely 1- to serve point from Duan. "By Moving Halep coats away. She was

:21:56. > :23:28.able to finish it off. Good play from the Chinese player.

:23:29. > :23:33.It's turning into a very important game. Dropped that second set to the

:23:34. > :24:45.Romanian. Able to open up the court saw well

:24:46. > :25:00.with that big serve. It's a game point opportunity.

:25:01. > :25:08.And still we go on, first game, deciding set, she is happy

:25:09. > :25:15.opportunities to close out this first service game.

:25:16. > :25:28.Halep is a tenacious player who will not let anything go.

:25:29. > :26:17.Alongside me is Sam Smith. We talk about how tricky it is for Simona

:26:18. > :26:23.Halep, first grass court, she had first-round match, despite retiring

:26:24. > :26:32.before the end of it, her opponent, she's got a lot of tennis on these

:26:33. > :26:41.courts under her belt. I think she has a good game for it because she

:26:42. > :26:45.moves so well. She did pretty well at Wimbledon quarterfinals. She

:26:46. > :26:50.cannot play well on the surface. There is some adjusting to do. It

:26:51. > :27:08.looks like she's feeling a little more settled now.

:27:09. > :27:13.In an ideal world you want someone who has not played quite so many

:27:14. > :27:17.matches against you in the opening round but it was quite a good

:27:18. > :27:31.decision. She had to get back on the horse at some point after Paris. She

:27:32. > :27:45.spoke about how hard it was. It looked tired. There's not a lot of

:27:46. > :28:08.time to reset. Tennis carries on. In this case it has changed.

:28:09. > :28:16.She's genuinely handled it well. I was around for her press day and she

:28:17. > :28:19.ended up having her open access our at the table I was doing my prep on.

:28:20. > :28:37.It was a little unusual. Did you stay and have a little

:28:38. > :28:47.lesson? I was wedged in by these reporters, there was no way to go.

:28:48. > :28:49.Genuinely, she's had some of the best you can have. That will keep

:28:50. > :29:35.her together. And the point of the game to the

:29:36. > :29:42.Chinese player, the deciding set being levelled up, I game apiece.

:29:43. > :29:46.Dealing with the height of Duan can poke the ball is coming down from

:29:47. > :29:49.such a fate. She can really get everything behind the ball. Some

:29:50. > :31:05.quick adjustments for Halep to make. So quick around the court, really

:31:06. > :31:11.knows her movement. She sees things in very early. As soon as she saw

:31:12. > :31:15.Duan on the stretch she was right up the court. That shot she was very

:31:16. > :31:30.comfortable with. She's pretty sharp out here.

:31:31. > :31:41.It's been a feature of Duan's game, she goes is big on the second serve

:31:42. > :31:44.as on the first. She doesn't have a lot of shape on it. Halep has been

:31:45. > :31:58.pretty aggressive behind that delivery. Just feel, you look so

:31:59. > :32:26.much quicker on the Centre Court. It is an unrelenting game style from

:32:27. > :32:28.Duan. Every ball is hit like that. To do that against a top-10 player

:32:29. > :33:20.very difficult. It has been hard for Halep, because

:33:21. > :34:23.the ball is coming so quickly at her, not to be pushed off the shot.

:34:24. > :34:32.Halep will be so frustrated. She's been on it and hasn't connected.

:34:33. > :34:37.Sometimes with Halep she does it more on the play. I'd love to see

:34:38. > :35:05.her hit the block to return. Great reactions. This is a match

:35:06. > :35:10.about absorbing pace and being bright eyed and out there and

:35:11. > :35:36.getting a sense of where Duan is going. Being an opportunist.

:35:37. > :35:48.What is tough for the Chinese number three is she's at the limits of what

:35:49. > :35:51.she can do. If she can get a racket on the ball she's got another level

:35:52. > :36:13.she can go to. Had a long game of this sort of set.

:36:14. > :37:14.Another struggle to try and hold serve.

:37:15. > :37:25.You just suspect if the rally goes over five shots, Duan will

:37:26. > :37:30.eventually make a mistake. On the odd occasion she will get a winner.

:37:31. > :37:46.If she gets broken here then the challenge is over.

:37:47. > :38:05.We've seen it a little bit today. Dampness in the grass. When you try

:38:06. > :38:08.to get traction and Bischoff... The baselines are starting to get a

:38:09. > :39:03.little more worn. It is not too bad at the moment.

:39:04. > :39:13.Victory ended a four match losing streak for the Chinese player.

:39:14. > :39:56.Having come through the qualifying...

:39:57. > :40:00.Big hitting, a slip at the end, but luckily a smile on the face of the

:40:01. > :40:13.Chinese player. It is not easy, this grass court

:40:14. > :40:15.season. It really isn't. It is so different to how you move on a

:40:16. > :40:32.hard-core. They've extended the season, as a

:40:33. > :40:42.lot of the other grass court tournament is Avenue. Some of the

:40:43. > :40:46.lower ranked players can play and get plenty of matches before

:40:47. > :40:48.Wimbledon. What you will see is a much higher level of tennis from day

:40:49. > :41:13.one. She was promised sunshine by the

:41:14. > :41:33.sea. Halep's challenge at Wimbledon will

:41:34. > :41:39.be interesting. In the last 12 months, they've done so much work on

:41:40. > :41:43.the forehand. Did cause problems, did break down under pressure.

:41:44. > :41:49.They've shortened it and made it more compact. That will be a huge

:41:50. > :42:43.help. She can really reap the benefits.

:42:44. > :43:01.She leads the deciding set to- one. I touched on the brief split with

:43:02. > :43:05.Darren Cave hell. -- Cahill. He felt it was not because she lost the

:43:06. > :43:14.match but it was her attitude. It is credit to both of them, saying it is

:43:15. > :43:21.not right to step away, working on the mental side of things. She said,

:43:22. > :43:32.let's work on this, I like what I've seen. There is a change to make and

:43:33. > :43:37.Simona Halep has adjusted. It comes back to what we say about players

:43:38. > :43:58.and the mental side being important. She worked on a side of her game

:43:59. > :44:02.that was a weakness. She did not have a choice. She was going to lose

:44:03. > :44:08.one of the best coaches in the game. He did not walk away lightly. This

:44:09. > :44:15.has been an issue all the time he's been working with her. You'd run out

:44:16. > :44:23.of options. He tried the softly softly approach. Good on him. It is

:44:24. > :45:17.the making of her. Great attitude out here today.

:45:18. > :45:27.Really good from Simona Halep. She phoned her red. Looking to

:45:28. > :45:30.consolidate the break. There have been some rackets cracked over

:45:31. > :45:33.dealing with this forehand. She's been through torment. Trying to fix

:45:34. > :45:54.it and change it. That is a hold, a consolidation, 3-1

:45:55. > :45:59.lead. She is an emotional player, Simona Halep, Halep lets you know if

:46:00. > :46:04.she is not happy. She yells at her box and herself. But not as much. I

:46:05. > :46:11.completely forgot this and I remember I'm -- and I remembered

:46:12. > :46:14.during the cut they are a Latin country and they have that passion

:46:15. > :46:17.and emotion and I love that about Simona and her fellow Romanian

:46:18. > :46:39.tennis players. Very good match play from Simona

:46:40. > :46:48.Halep. This is Duan closing of the net. But I love service game behind

:46:49. > :47:01.is devastating for Duan, all the momentum is going against her now.

:47:02. > :47:12.She finds a way to finish it off. Ankle trouble, Halep rolled it in

:47:13. > :47:17.the final at Rome. She lost the final, she had doubts ahead of

:47:18. > :47:26.Roland Garros. She felt good and she went the final.

:47:27. > :47:34.We have seen a number of racket droppings now from the Chinese

:47:35. > :47:39.player. Which is unusual for Chinese tennis players. They are normally

:47:40. > :47:48.emotionally very wrapped up and under control. It is really frowned

:47:49. > :47:53.upon in that part of the world. She is also maybe slightly out of the

:47:54. > :48:11.Mold because she is 6'1" tall. That is pretty tall.

:48:12. > :48:17.If she could play like this every single point, she would be top ten

:48:18. > :48:30.in the world. It is some game when it comes together.

:48:31. > :48:39.I was leading about Duan Yingying and do you know what her nickname

:48:40. > :48:48.is? Does she have a Western name? No, a nickname given to her by fans

:48:49. > :49:08.and by her friends. Thinking? I'm going to say no to that.

:49:09. > :49:16.Duanvenport. Because her idol is linseed Davenport. You going to tell

:49:17. > :49:29.her? Are you getting your phone out now? Lindsey would love that.

:49:30. > :49:33.Duanvenport! Duanvenport! She did say Lindsey Davenport has been her

:49:34. > :49:38.tennis idol as long as she can remember and they are a similar

:49:39. > :49:45.stature. Nobody hit the serve at than Lindsey Davenport, devastating.

:49:46. > :50:10.-- better than. We have to get these two together!

:50:11. > :50:20.Some brutal hitting on that point! But Duan does hold serve. Simona

:50:21. > :50:25.Halep is still a break ahead. I imagine if you brought them

:50:26. > :50:30.together, Duan might go shy. This is her all-time tennis idol. Who is

:50:31. > :50:35.your all-time tennis idol that left you lost for words and made your

:50:36. > :50:40.knees shake? I didn't really have a tennis idol. My first idol was the

:50:41. > :50:45.swimmer Sharron Davies. I thought I would be an Olympic swimmer. The

:50:46. > :50:55.player that I really liked and not many people have her as their idol,,

:50:56. > :50:56.it is an undercover. She did not hit the ball particularly well and she

:50:57. > :51:07.was so graceful. She was all about skill

:51:08. > :51:09.rather than power. Did you ask for a photo with her? No, you did not do

:51:10. > :51:20.that in those days. Take your time, point by point,

:51:21. > :51:28.don't overthink things. Use your slice backhand. Take it wide on the

:51:29. > :51:33.backhand and you don't have time, at just the slice, hang in there, you

:51:34. > :51:36.are winning a lot of points by making her play that extra ball and

:51:37. > :51:41.that is the reason you got back into the second set. Stay true to that,

:51:42. > :51:46.come on, you are strong in every service game. He is great! If I was

:51:47. > :51:52.on court, I would like Darren to come on. He is so clear and he nails

:51:53. > :51:53.it for her every time. He stops her mind from wandering and he keeps it

:51:54. > :52:27.clear for her. Darren Cahill asking Simona Halep to

:52:28. > :52:30.stay strong and serve. You're right, he is the person you would want

:52:31. > :53:11.coming on, a very calming voice. Great hitting from both. Well, could

:53:12. > :53:18.not get a ticket for Centre Court, not out here, this is really high

:53:19. > :53:27.level tennis. I love to see the way Simona has re-bounded from Paris.

:53:28. > :53:30.Just going back to Darren. The content is fabulous from him. The

:53:31. > :53:41.quality of information. And it is the delivery. It makes all the

:53:42. > :53:43.difference. Well, he said, stay strong and serve. She serves out the

:53:44. > :54:00.love and she is leading 4-2. The winner will face a former

:54:01. > :54:29.Wimbledon semifinalist, pretty handy on this surface.

:54:30. > :54:37.Oh! She is so quick! Moving well, she looks very comfortable. I'm

:54:38. > :55:56.surprised how good this is. Emotion on the face of Duan

:55:57. > :56:38.Yingying. It is lovely from Simona Halep. When

:56:39. > :56:48.you think a couple of years ago, she was, I would say, quite a positive

:56:49. > :56:56.counterpuncher. And now, I mean, having much more aggressive play.

:56:57. > :57:04.And the movement, which has always been such a big part of the Halep

:57:05. > :57:08.game, when she gets around the court, the way she moves around the

:57:09. > :57:13.ball and gets into position. She is looking to finish the point and win

:57:14. > :57:16.it a little earlier. She is looking for where she can strike. A totally

:57:17. > :57:28.different mindset she is bringing to the court. Break point, Halep. There

:57:29. > :57:34.it is. A point from Simona Halep puts her a game away for a meeting

:57:35. > :57:37.in the round of 16 with Tsvetana Pironkova. And can you remember the

:57:38. > :57:43.permutations of how people become World Number 1 by the end of this

:57:44. > :57:48.week? There are different ways Halep can do it and it does rely on for

:57:49. > :57:52.instance Angelique Kerber losing before the quarterfinals, there are

:57:53. > :57:56.different ways it can happen. As a player, how much do you think about

:57:57. > :58:01.that, or is that secondary to everything else going on? I have

:58:02. > :58:11.never been anywhere near that position! But I get the sense with

:58:12. > :58:18.these women, Angelique Kerber and Halep that it is secondary. And we

:58:19. > :58:23.in the media so much aware of the permutations and they are. I'm sure

:58:24. > :58:29.that coaches are trying to keep that way. Don't add extra pressure. I

:58:30. > :58:33.think in the final of the French, she was near the finish line, Simona

:58:34. > :58:38.Halep, and winning a French Open and becoming World Number 1, I have a

:58:39. > :58:48.feeling it might have got into her head. She got ahead of herself. Her

:58:49. > :58:52.arm froze and it got away from her. Possibly, it was a factor. Now for

:58:53. > :58:56.Simona, it is about regrouping after Paris and getting it together and

:58:57. > :59:00.enjoying her tennis again, not worrying about this other stuff. If

:59:01. > :59:06.you play well and you get the results, the ranking takes care of

:59:07. > :00:02.itself. Simona Halep serving for a place in the round of 16.

:00:03. > :00:11.A nice way to bring got the first of two match points. The current world

:00:12. > :00:17.number two, wildcard in this event to get some matches ahead of

:00:18. > :00:24.Wimbledon on the grass. A great performance. A really clean

:00:25. > :00:27.performance from Simona Halep, after losing the first set, she turned

:00:28. > :00:33.things around and she found her feet and her form on the grass. Simona

:00:34. > :00:44.Halep, second seed, world and the two, goes through to the round of 16

:00:45. > :00:48.and she meets Tsvetana Pironkova. Difficult to get going this morning?

:00:49. > :00:52.Thank you, yes, so difficult. Hitting the ball very strong and it

:00:53. > :00:56.wasn't easy to return them. Really happy I could win this match. It was

:00:57. > :01:00.really important and looking forward to playing another one today because

:01:01. > :01:04.yesterday was raining. I really want to thank everyone for coming. It was

:01:05. > :01:08.a nice atmosphere and I really enjoyed the play here. That one hour

:01:09. > :01:13.game in the third set seemed crucial. It was really long. How

:01:14. > :01:20.vital was that the break serve? It was really important is the break.

:01:21. > :01:24.After that, really. I said that now I have to hold the serve. Then I

:01:25. > :01:28.felt really confident that I can finish the match. This is your first

:01:29. > :01:34.time here at the Aegon International in Eastbourne, how has been for you

:01:35. > :01:38.so far? It has been nice and already I have one week here. I last

:01:39. > :01:42.Wednesday. I like the course, they are very good and I'm just trying to

:01:43. > :01:47.win matches and to stay longer here. You have had a couple of weeks off

:01:48. > :01:52.since the French Open, how have you prepare for the grass court season?

:01:53. > :01:56.Well, I didn't play tennis, first. I had a break, I came here and I

:01:57. > :02:00.started on the grass. A good period after the French Open and I enjoyed

:02:01. > :02:04.the time and I was happy with my performance on the clay-court

:02:05. > :02:08.season. How important is it to build confidence on the grass courts ahead

:02:09. > :02:12.of Wimbledon? Actually, this tournament is really important for

:02:13. > :02:17.me, it is not just preparation for Wimbledon. I really want to play

:02:18. > :02:21.100% and to win every match I play. It is difficult, this level of

:02:22. > :02:26.tennis is really high and I'm just giving my best every day on court.

:02:27. > :02:30.All the best in the next round. Ladies and gentlemen, Simona Halep!

:02:31. > :02:36.One big-name safely through and we were following Caroline Wozniacki

:02:37. > :02:42.earlier and she came through against Naomi Osaka of Japan in two tight

:02:43. > :02:46.sets. Sadly, not a lot going on behind me. They have not put the

:02:47. > :02:51.covers on, it is not raining, but there is a Black cloud over there

:02:52. > :02:54.and I suspect the likelihood is it will rain so get everybody off court

:02:55. > :02:58.and we will see how things are in 20 minutes. One very funny thing I have

:02:59. > :03:03.just seen and I never thought about this, if you are not 6-foot

:03:04. > :03:06.temporary you don't. John Isner was playing on the court behind me and

:03:07. > :03:10.his match was called off so he was standing there and he is a big name

:03:11. > :03:16.and a big man. One think you don't consider when you are not 6-foot

:03:17. > :03:20.ten, seven foot in our shoes or when people ask you for a selfie, the

:03:21. > :03:24.angle of the camera is not very flattering because it is up your

:03:25. > :03:28.nostrils. It was great to see John Isner taking everybody's camera and

:03:29. > :03:35.take get like this so it is an aerial view. It amused me! Big names

:03:36. > :03:41.have win, none bigger than that man, Novak Djokovic. He beat Vasek

:03:42. > :03:45.Pospisil in straight sets in his opening match and he goes through to

:03:46. > :03:52.the quarterfinals. And world 11 Angelique Kerber was in pretty good

:03:53. > :03:57.form today as she went through. And Johanna Konta was in fantastic form

:03:58. > :04:00.as she win in straight sets. And she could be back later tonight to play

:04:01. > :04:06.her next round, but that depends on the weather. Live coverage tomorrow

:04:07. > :04:11.begins at one o'clock. But we could be back on the red button tonight

:04:12. > :04:17.depending on what happens. We really are mixing and matching. At the

:04:18. > :04:21.moment, Wimbledon qualifying is live from Roehampton. And later tonight

:04:22. > :04:28.at some points, Marcus Willis will play Liam Broady and that match will

:04:29. > :04:34.be on the red button unless it is replaced by Heather Watson who will

:04:35. > :04:36.play here or Johanna Konta who is playing Jelena Ostapenko. So you

:04:37. > :04:42.have got to have your finger on the red button. And you will get what

:04:43. > :04:47.you get. It is all dependent on the weather. And if you are a tennis

:04:48. > :04:51.fan, it will be there. So back to Wimbledon, five days away, and we

:04:52. > :04:52.will look at the seedings in a minute which came out today. Ten

:04:53. > :05:06.great moments of Wimbledon, why not? That is it, and he has done it, he

:05:07. > :05:12.really has done it! It is in! That is it, he has done

:05:13. > :05:38.it! That is it! That is it, that is it!

:05:39. > :05:46.And the dream has come true. That is it! And at last, he does it.

:05:47. > :06:12.Game, set, match! There is a new man at the helm of

:06:13. > :06:55.men's tennis. Rafael Nadal. Great moments and great memories and

:06:56. > :07:02.it is funny to see John Isner in there. His name with Mahut will be

:07:03. > :07:07.there forever as long as the game is played, that will surely be the

:07:08. > :07:13.longest game. Tonight, Wimbledon's greatest moments. Sam Smith as of

:07:14. > :07:20.that. And on Monday, Wimbledon will look like this.

:07:21. > :07:26.Elina Svitolina has not been playing because of injury, but she is the

:07:27. > :07:30.fourth seed. Venus Williams is the tenth seed, the only two players not

:07:31. > :07:40.to play here at Eastbourne this week. Garbine Muguruza lost here

:07:41. > :07:45.today. And Lucie Safarova is number 32. Don't bet against her going a

:07:46. > :07:49.long way. And for the men, what hit you immediately, Roger Federer is at

:07:50. > :07:53.number three in the seedings. Overtaking Rafael Nadal, which will

:07:54. > :07:58.have an impact on which half of the draw people are written. And Dominic

:07:59. > :08:10.Thiem is a real contender this year. And you have players like Grigor

:08:11. > :08:15.Dimitrov who has played well. And the number 30 seed, nobody will want

:08:16. > :08:22.to play him in the last 32. And Richard Gasquet at number 22. He win

:08:23. > :08:33.his match here earlier today. But the number one seed is our number

:08:34. > :08:37.one. Hello! How are you? How are things? All right, nice being around

:08:38. > :08:40.here. Game, set and match, Andy Murray.

:08:41. > :08:53.The waiting is over! Finals day, how nerve-racking is

:08:54. > :08:57.this walk? Three, four hours before, you are nervous, but you are OK. As

:08:58. > :09:02.it gets to one hour before, it gets worse. As you make the walk, you are

:09:03. > :09:08.thinking, can I play tennis? Get this over with! Yes, but as soon as

:09:09. > :09:12.you get on the court, I have done that my entire life and it is OK out

:09:13. > :09:18.there, it is more the getting onto the court that is the hard bit. Is

:09:19. > :09:21.it the longest walk of the Grand Slam? The US Open is very close and

:09:22. > :09:27.the French Open. By far the longest walk. Who will your heroes growing

:09:28. > :09:33.up? We would always support the British players. It was like

:09:34. > :09:38.watching Tim four years at Wimbledon and I love to watch Andre Agassi. He

:09:39. > :09:44.was a bit different. It big personality. And a great shotmaker.

:09:45. > :09:49.And he did not play the same way as a lot of the players and in that

:09:50. > :09:54.time, he was not playing serve and volley tennis. He was a bit

:09:55. > :09:59.different. Are you a regular snooker player here? I was until I lost in

:10:00. > :10:04.the semifinals of the club Championships. Me and my coach Jamie

:10:05. > :10:12.Gelb -- Jamie Delgado put the snooker away after that. Whose fault

:10:13. > :10:18.was it? To be honest, we were a bit unlucky. It was one frame all, I

:10:19. > :10:23.mean, we were terrible and we played the four hours, three frames. And we

:10:24. > :10:29.needed to get a pot on the last frame, the blue, the blue -- blue,

:10:30. > :10:37.the pink, or the Black. He potted the blue and also the white we lost.

:10:38. > :10:43.And that has been at, I gave up. Such a magical place. Do you have a

:10:44. > :10:48.glance to the right as you go down? It is a shame you don't get to keep

:10:49. > :10:52.that! The amazing trophy. It literally never leaves. Except on

:10:53. > :10:59.finals day. We get a replica. A third of the size of that. There is

:11:00. > :11:04.a lot of security. I know, they will not let me touch it! I take a photo

:11:05. > :11:10.and they snatch it back. And away it goes.

:11:11. > :11:16.20 past five, that programme on Sunday. A final word from us here.

:11:17. > :11:19.With Wimbledon starting next week, interesting how so many players are

:11:20. > :11:27.using Eastbourne as preparation for next week. The rain has not come, it

:11:28. > :11:33.is hovering. We are prepared for it. But there is no action taking place.

:11:34. > :11:37.Before everybody laughed, it is extraordinary. You see behind me on

:11:38. > :11:42.court and above four, you had Simona Halep playing, the world number two.

:11:43. > :11:46.Next door to her, you had Agnieszka Radwanska and you had John Isner

:11:47. > :11:52.playing here. It is great to have the men and women playing here. But

:11:53. > :11:55.clearly, so few people see these big stars and you see why they need to

:11:56. > :11:59.have this big redevelopment programme. With the ambitions they

:12:00. > :12:05.have got, it great, but they need to come up with the goods. That is why

:12:06. > :12:08.the Lawn Tennis Association and the local council have invested 44

:12:09. > :12:15.million in this area. Sorting out the theatre as well. There was a

:12:16. > :12:19.time ten years ago, what was happening to the grass court season,

:12:20. > :12:23.it has been extended by one week and it has been protected. That is so

:12:24. > :12:27.important for Wimbledon because Wimbledon can't stand in isolation

:12:28. > :12:32.as a grass court tournament. Their rivals from other countries, Holland

:12:33. > :12:35.and Germany. That is what it forces this country to do. I had been to

:12:36. > :12:39.this tournament. Many years and I'm so pleased to see where it is now

:12:40. > :12:45.and where it could be in a couple of years. In 2020, when the grand plans

:12:46. > :12:48.are supposed to come to fruition, displays could be magnificent. I

:12:49. > :12:55.think the men's and women's tours are stronger together. If this was

:12:56. > :13:02.always a women's tournament... Now I see this can work as a men's and

:13:03. > :13:06.women's event. Your day has barely begun, you are on Radio 5 Live at

:13:07. > :13:11.8:30 p:m.. Not quite sure what we are doing between now and then, but

:13:12. > :13:16.we are going off air now on BBC Two, but we could be back on the red

:13:17. > :13:20.button with Heather Watson if she is in action, or with Johanna Konta if

:13:21. > :13:24.she explained Jelena Ostapenko and what a fantastic match that could

:13:25. > :13:28.be. Or Marcus Willis and Liam Broady at the Wimbledon qualifier happening

:13:29. > :13:31.very shortly. Monitor the red button and looked at schedules and we will

:13:32. > :13:36.see you tomorrow at one o'clock. From everybody here, goodbye!

:13:37. > :13:40.Karolina Pliskova takes the first set.

:13:41. > :13:44.We are heading to a decider out here on Centre Court.

:13:45. > :13:50.Just the one match points needed for World Number 1 Angelique Kerber.

:13:51. > :13:57.British number one taking the first set against Sorana Cirstea.

:13:58. > :13:58.What a way to finish things off for Johanna Konta!