Konta through to quarter-finals in Nottingham

Top seed Johanna Konta made short work of doubles partner Yanina Wickmayer to reach the quarter-finals of the Aegon Open grasscourt tournament in Nottingham yesterday.Konta, the world number eight who will carry Britain’s hopes into Wimbledon along with Andy Murray, won 6-4 6-1 against the Belgian Wickmayer and will face Australian Ashleigh Barty next. Konta, surprisingly beaten in the French Open first round by world number 109 Hsieh Su-Wei, coped better with Nottingham’s windy conditions as she forged 4-0 ahead in the opening set. Wickmayer briefly threatened to make a match of it but Konta was relatively untroubled. “I was able to deal with the conditions well. I really enjoy playing in front of this home crowd,” she said.Halep pulls out of Birmingham eventWorld number two Simona Halep has withdrawn from next week’s Aegon Classic in Birmingham due to a right ankle injury, organisers said yesterday. Halep, the beaten finalist in the French Open last week, is the latest top player to pull out from the event after Czech world number three Karolina Pliskova opted to rest her injured elbow ahead of Wimbledon. Poland’s tenth-ranked Agnieszka Radwanska and Monica Puig of Puerto Rico have both pulled out citing illnesses. Heather Watson, the second-ranked British woman behind world number eight Johanna Konta, has been handed a wildcard along with compatriot Naomi Broady. World number one Angelique Kerber, two-times Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and 2016 WTA Finals champion Dominika Cibulkova will all be in action at the WTA Premier level tournament in Birmingham.