Johanna Konta's Win vs. Donna Vekic Kicks off Wednesday's Wimbledon Action

Johanna Konta reached Wimbledon's third round for the first time Wednesday as she edged past Donna Vekic 7-6 (4), 4-6, 10-8 in an epic encounter. Meanwhile, fellow Brit Heather Watson progressed by beating Anastasija Sevastova 6-0, 6-4.

Watson set up a clash with Victoria Azarenka, who eased past Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-3, while Konta will take on Greece's Maria Sakkari in Round 3.

Elsewhere, in the men's draw Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal are both safely through after straight-set wins over Dustin Brown and Donald Young, respectively.

The main upset of the day came when Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, was eliminated by Madison Brengle.

Full results can be found at Wimbledon's official website.

Wednesday Recap

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Konta almost enjoyed the perfect start to her match, earning two break points in the opening game, but she failed to take either as Vekic also looked strong from the outset.

It was the Croatian who drew first blood when she took command of the set at 5-3, but after saving two set points, Konta broke back on the way to forcing a tiebreaker.

A venomous backhand winner and an unforced error helped the sixth seed edge out her opponent, though her momentum was quickly halted early in the second set, per Metro's George Bellshaw:

Indeed, Vekic—who beat Konta recently at the Nottingham Open—was full of confidence in the second stanza, seeing it out 6-4 to set up a nervy decider on Centre Court.

Nerves were scarce in the play of both women, though, as they each served impeccably, taking the third set to 6-6. The first break point only came about in the 13th game.

The Guardian's Simon Cambers praised the composure both competitors were showing in punishing conditions:

It was a war of attrition, and in the 18th game of a drawn-out final set, it was Vekic who cracked. She saved one match point to force deuce, but Konta continued to pile the pressure on and wrapped up a crucial win.

By contrast, earlier in the day Watson raced through her opening set against 18th seed Sevastova to a bagel, per BBC Sport:

Indeed, the Brit lost just eight points in that time, but the second set was far more competitive, and Sevastova was the first to break the deadlock, per the Guardian's Jacob Steinberg:

Watson twice hit back after being broken to level the scores at 4-4, and she broke Sevastova a third time when the Latvian found the net, sealing her win.

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Her third-round opponent Azarenka had a straightforward time against Vesnina, whom she's never lost a set against in eight matches. The 15th seed barely troubled Azarenka, carving out just one break point in the entire contest and failing to take it.

The big news of the day in the women’s draw came as Kvitova was dumped out by Brengle in straight sets.

Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, was returning to Grand Slam tennis after a stabbing injury on her arm. And while she impressed in Round 1 and winning in Birmingham in the buildup to SW19, as noted by the WTA Insider feed, she was short of her best here:

After Konta on Centre Court, Murray emerged for what was potentially a difficult showdown with Brown.

The underdog started well and troubled the defending champion with some inventive shots. However, as Murray grew into the match it was clear he was too powerful and too proficient, as he dropped just seven games on his way to victory.

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As noted by Stuart Fraser of the Times, the world No. 1’s win set the tone for British players on a great day for the home fans:

Those who stayed on Centre Court throughout on Wednesday then got to watch Nadal in action against Young.

The Spaniard has been rejuvenated in 2017 and was in imperious form to win his 10th French Open title last month. Based on this evidence, he’s well in the hunt for another Grand Slam, as he cruised past his fellow left-hander in three sets.