Konta beats Babos to reach China Open third round

Singapore, Oct 5: British tennis player Johanna Konta beat Hungary's Timea Babos in straight sets to reach the China Open tennis tournament's third round.

Konta won 7-5, 6-2 and will now face the Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova.

Fifth seed Pliskova beat Russia's Daria Kasatkina 3-6 7-5 7-6 (9-7).

Konta, 25, is 11th in the race to the season-ending championships, to be held in Singapore, with only the top eight qualifying for the tournament, which takes place from October 23-30.

Konta could also break into the world's top 10 for the first time if she continues her run at the China Open.

Currently ranked 14th, she would join Virginia Wade, Sue Barker and Jo Durie as the only Britons to achieve the feat of being in the top 10 on the women's tennis tour.