Heather Watson vs Johanna Konta Tennis Prediction

Johanna Konta sails past Kurumi Nara with a 6-2 6-3 victory in a matter of an hour and three minutes to begin her grass season at Nottingham. The Brit won 25/32 (78%) on her first serve, including seven aces, and saved both break points she faced in the match.
Last year, Konta stormed into the final of the tournament without dropping a set. She took a set lead against Donna Vekic in the title decider but eventually lost in two and a half hours. The former #4 went on to post semifinal runs at Eastbourne (l. Pliskova) and Wimbledon (l. V. Williams).
Heather Watson registered an easy straight-set win over American qualifier and world #252 Danielle Lao, winning a first-round match at Nottingham for the first time in the third attempt. Last week, she had fallen to fellow Brit #184 Gabriella Taylor in $100k Surbiton first round.
Watson, whose rank peaked in 2015 at #38, suffered seven tour-level losses in a row after the semifinal at Hobart, the tournament she won in 2015. She is seeking her third tour-level quarterfinal on home soil after semifinal finishes at Eastbourne in 2014 and 2017.
The fourth seed leads the head-to-head by 2-0, although their first encounter at 2013 ITF Barnstaple ended with Watson’s retirement. They last met at 2017 Indian Wells (6-4 6-4), weeks before Konta’s biggest title triumph at Miami.

Tennis Prediction: Johanna Konta
Odds: 1.33