EASTBOURNE — British No. 2 Johanna Konta is through to the third round of the AEGON Championship at Eastbourne after a shock straight sets victory over world No. 8 Ekaterina Makarova Tuesday. The 24-year-old, who had previously never beaten any player within the world's top 10, looked confident throughout as she completed a comprehensive 6-2, 6-4 victory over the Russian fourth seed inside an hour and a half of play. After easing through the first set, Konta needed to show determination in the second as both players traded breaks until the Briton, who lives in Eastbourne, made the decisive break with the score at 4-4. In other games: Andrea Petkovic of Germany beat Caroline Garcia of France 6-2, 6-4; Karolina Pliskova beat Casey Dellacqua 6-4, 7-5; Sloane Stephens downed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 7-5; and Eugenie Bouchard edged Alison Riske 7-6 (7/5), 6-3. On Monday, former Grand Slam finalists Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dominika Cibulkova advanced to the second round. Kuznetsova, who has won the French Open and US Open, converted all four of her break points in beating Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6 (5), 6-4 to set up a match against Flavia Pennetta. Cibulkova, a runner-up at the Australian Open last year, beat Harriet Dart 6-1, 6-3 and will next play 2014 Wimbledon semifinalist Lucie Safarova. Rain pushed 2014 Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard's second-round match against Alison Riske back to Tuesday. There were wins for unseeded players Polona Hercog of Slovenia, Irina Falconi of the United States, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic, Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria and home favorite Heather Watson. Melzer beats Melzer Jurgen Melzer came out on top in the battle of the brothers in Wimbledon qualifying Monday, 34-year-old Jurgen beating 10-year younger Gerald in the opening round. Former world No. 8 Jurgen took 47 minutes to defeat his younger sibling 6-1, 6-4 to earn a second qualifying round date with Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands. “It's the worst feeling,” said Jurgen, who won the Wimbledon doubles title with Philipp Petzschner in 2010, after the family feud played out on grass at Roehampton. This was the first time the Austrian brothers had met at professional level. Jurgen, who reached the French Open semi-finals in 2010, made it to the last 16 at Wimbledon in 2010 and 2013. Bedene wins In Nottingham, Aljaz Bedene warmed up for his first Wimbledon since switching nationality to British by beating Diego Schwartzman in one of just five completed first-round matches at the rain-hit Nottingham Open Monday. The Slovenia-born Bedene, who was granted British citizenship in March, won 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2 against his Argentine opponent and will play eighth-seeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the second round. Santiago Giraldo of Colombia won 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 against Andreas Haider-Maurer of Austria, while Simone Bolelli, Malek Jaziri and Dudi Sela were all straight-sets winners before rain washed out play in the late afternoon and evening. — Agencies
