British number one Johanna Konta was knocked out of the Italian Open after a third-round defeat by Garbine Muguruza.
Konta was beaten 6-4 6-1 by the world number 17, who claimed a third win in five matches between the pair.
The Briton reached the final in Rome last year but was beaten in one hour 22 minutes on the clay by Muguruza, who will next play Victoria Azarenka.
World number 13 Konta, 29, has also announced she has split from coach Thomas Hogstedt.
“They were only working on a trial basis and they agreed to work together for the US swing and then assess going forward,” said a spokesperson for Konta.
Konta will now prepare for the French Open, which begins on 27 September.
Former French Open champion Simona Halep, meanwhile, recovered from 3-0 down in the first set to beat Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 7-5 6-4 in Rome.
Romania’s Halep next faces an Italian Open quarter-final against Yulia Putintseva, who beat her fellow Kazakh Elena Rybakina 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-2.
Defending champion Karolina Pliskova eased to a 6-4 6-3 victory over Anna Blinkova, while two-time Rome winner Elina Svitolina also progressed after a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 win over Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
Source link
