Johanna Konta beats Timea Babos to reach China Open third round
British number one Johanna Konta boosted her hopes of reaching the WTA Finals in Singapore by beating Hungary’s Timea Babos in straight sets to reach the China Open third round.
The World number 14 won 7-5 6-2.
The 25-year-old will next face either Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic or Russia’s Daria Kasatkina.
Konta is currently ninth in the race to Singapore. The top eight qualify for the tournament, which takes place from 23-30 October.
She could also break into the world’s top 10 for the first time and join Virginia Wade, Sue Barker and Jo Durie as the only Britons to achieve the feat on the WTA Tour.