Italian Open: Kerolina Pliskova defeats Johanna Konta in straight sets to claim title

Kerolina Pliskova secured her biggest claycourt title of her career by ending Johanna Konta's prolific run for the Italian Open trophy. The Czech player white washed the final with a 6-3,6-4 straight set victory against the British number one to claim her second title of the season. 

This victory moves Pliskova up in the rankings to number two from number four and makes her one of the key contenders at the French Open, which starts next weekend.

When asked about her expectations at the French Open, she said, “I just hope I can take the tennis I was playing here to Paris and we’ll see. I think there will be a chance for me if I play this way but there’s going to be some tough opponents who are playing good tennis on clay." Pliskova have had a very consistent run since the 2016 U.S. Open, reaching the Australia Open Semifinal and also the Miami Open final. 

"I was a little bit nervous today, it’s a final so you have to be. Jo played great tennis so she made it quite tough for me," she added.

Bretain's unseeded Konta tried to make life as difficult as possible and managed to win a breakpoint late-on, but failed to stop Pliskova from securing her third claycourt title of her carrer, dropping zero service game in the process. 

Defeating some big names to reach the final, Konta remained pragmatic about her performance in tournament despite her loss in the final. “I’m pleased with how I’ve been progressing this year and how I’ve been improving with every match. To make it to a final here, this is my second biggest final after Miami, this is a big moment for me,” she said.