US Open: Wozniacki’s comeback continues with 3rd-round win

At the 2014 US Open, China’s Peng Shuai was helped off the court in a wheelchair after collapsing twice in her semi-final against Caroline Wozniacki.

Johanna Konta suffered a health scare when she collapsed on court in 80 percent humidity during her second-round match at the US Open. Play continues in the third.

Facing set point at 6-5, Konta fell to the court and was treated at the baseline by medics frantically taking her blood pressure. I was hoping she will get through that and that she will be OK. When she finally got to the sidelines to her chair, she was iced down.

‘My heart rate spiked and I couldn’t really control my breathing, ‘ she said.

Konta was understandably relieved to progress to the third round, where she will meet Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, and admitted afterwards that the incident in the second set had shown her just how far she was pushing herself in the NY heat.

Temperatures during the match were in the mid-80s.

The British 13th seed rose unsteadily and returned to double fault and surrender the set, then left the court to change her clothes before resuming.

The delay had reached nearly 15 minutes when Konta walked back out on court, but she immediately fired the second serve long to concede the set, and departed for a toilet break. All the inaction cost Pironkova, who called the episode “a controversial moment”. Her performance in that first set was what we have come to see from Konta – aggressive ball stroking, accurate and powerful serving, and aggressive winners coming in to the net. Because, with that toilet break, I think the match was stopped for just too long.

“It was an unfortunate time”, she said. Vinci went up a break to start the third only for Witthoeft to later get the set back on serve.

“I wish I could say everyone uses the [bathroom] timeout accordingly”. The points began to grow longer again, no matter what Konta was trying to do to shorten them, and it seemed as if the mountain would be too high.

Annabelle Croft, commenting on the match for Eurosport, said: “I thought Jo might have been having a heart attack”.

“I just played with what I had”, she said. “I think all athletes play a very fine line with that”.

Rafael Nadal is also through, the Spaniard beating Andreas Seppi 6-0 7-5 6-1.

Seeded 14th, Kvitova earned a 7-6 (2), 6-2 second-round win over Cagla Buyukakcay. The Australian Open, which has its own extreme heat policy updated a year ago in the aftermath of a blisteringly hot 2014 event, now boasts three courts with roofs that can be closed to offer protection.

Marcos Baghdatis beat Ryan Harrison 6-3, 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-1 to move into the round of 16 at the U.S. Open on Friday, ending the run of the American qualifier who had pulled off the one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.