Watson knocked out of Italian Open
Britain’s Heather Watson has lost to Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic in round two of the Italian Open.
The 23-year-old British number two, ranked 55th in the world, went down 6-4 6-2 to the world number 37.
Later on Wednesday, British number one Johanna Konta takes on seventh-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci.
In the men’s draw in Rome, Andy Murray faces Kazakh qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin, the Scot having received a bye in the first round.
“It’s tough to take,” said Watson. “I was playing super well, then my opponent stepped up her game, I dropped mine a little and it turned the match completely.
“That happens sometimes. I think it happens more often on clay than other surfaces,” she added. “I feel it was a big opportunity for me today and I’ll have to learn from this one.”