The Battle of the Brits events proved a popular way to fill the tennis void this summer and that theme will continue at the US Open next week after Johanna Konta and Heather Watson were drawn to play each other in the first round.
The chances of the only two British participants in the women’s event being placed next to each other in a draw of 128 players were slim, but the United States Tennis Association’s computer software delivered this unlikely outcome yesterday.
Konta, ranked No 15 and a quarter-finalist at Flushing Meadows last year, is the obvious favourite for this intriguing contest against Watson, the world No 52. Konta has won all three of their previous encounters, the last on grass at the Nottingham
