Kerber claims much-needed win

Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Johanna Konta were the big winners on a packed day of matches at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne on Wednesday.

Yet Garbine Muguruza suffered a bizarre 6-1 6-0 loss to diminutive Czech Barbora Strycova in a tournament boilover.

With rain wreaking havoc on Tuesday’s schedule, Wednesday’s order of play was a smorgasbord of matches, with many players having to play two singles matches in one day – before the rain tumbled again.

Early in the day, Angelique Kerber scored her first win since Madrid with a hard-fought 4-6 6-1 7-5 win over Kristyna Pliskova.

Kerber, who’d bombed in the first round of the French Open before withdrawing from the Birmingham Classic due to a hamstring injury, said she was pleased to be back at a tournament where she was a two-time finalist.

“It feels good, always the first rounds are tough,” Kerber, who next faces Spaniard Lara Arruabarrena, told wtatennis.com.

“I think it was a good match from both of us. She was serving very well and I was focusing on my return.

“At the end of the match I was focusing point-by-point and go for it if I had the chance, and I’m happy I’m through.”

Joining Kerber in the third round was Simona Halep, who played her first match since her heart-breaking French Open final loss to Jelena Ostapenko and came away with a three-set win.

The Romanian’s 3-6 6-3 6-2 win over Duan Ying-Ying was achieved in one hour and 41 minutes and keeps her in the hunt for the No.1 ranking – currently held by Kerber.

Halep must perform better than the German this week if she is to have a shot of ascending to top spot for the first time.

Meanwhile, fifth seed Johanna Konta won a rematch with Sorana Cirstea, cruising past the Romanian 6-2 6-2 to reach the last 16.

FED CUP DRAMA: Nastase thrown out

The last time they met was in a drama-charged Fed Cup tie in Constanta, during which Konta left the court in tears following abuse from Romanian captain Ilie Nastase, a response which drew pointed criticism from Cirstea – who had ultimately fallen to Konta in straight sets.

Konta, perhaps unsurprisingly, claimed that revenge was not on her mind when she took to court against the world No.62.

“I wasn’t playing in a Fed Cup setting. I wasn’t going up against an emotion and I wasn’t going up against a past experience,” Konta insisted.

“I was going up against an opponent who happened to be Sorana, and I prepared the best I could for that match. I played the ball that I had and the opponent I had but not the circumstances that happened a month ago.

“I can only speak for me personally, but I put it to bed a long time ago. I have been moving on from that situation that I was a part of since it happened.”

Konta next faces a third-round battle against Ostapenko.

Other seeded winners on Wednesday were sixth seed Caroline Wozniacki, No.9 seed Kristina Mladenovic and 12th seed Elena Vesnina.