Wimbledon 2017: Johanna Konta beats Donna Vekic 10-8 in final set to reach the third round

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Johanna Konta edged a marathon three-set battle with Donna Vekic to reach the third round for the first time at Wimbledon.

Konta saved two break points at the end of a nail-biting final set that lasted an hour and 19 minutes, and the British number one emerged a 7-6 (7/4) 4-6 10-8 victor.

Vekic was in tears as she embraced her opponent at the net on Centre Court while Konta goes through to face Greece's Maria Sakkari for a place in the last 16.

Konta told the BBC: "It hasn't quite sunk in. It's just a nice feeling not to keep going out there. We were out there a long time and both of us battled incredibly hard.

"Whoever was going to draw the short straw was going to be hurting. I feel very fortunate to come through that."

After Heather Watson's earlier win over Anastasija Sevastova, Konta's victory also means Britain have two women into the third round of the singles here for the first time since 1986 when Jo Durie and Anne Hobbs made it through.

Konta had lost another tight three-setter to Vekic in the final in Nottingham last month. That was only Vekic's second victory against a top-10 opponent.

Both players had to contend with temperatures in the high twenties, not to mention an invasion of flying insects, with Vekic, who had boyfriend Stan Wawrinka watching in the crowd, forced to apply repellent spray in the thrilling final set.

Konta swarmed over Vekic from the start but her opponent is no soft touch and she too soon found her range.

Ground shots sizzled back and forth and it was as much nerves, and failed finishes, that separated them early on as any superiority from the baseline.

Konta was first to tighten as three wayward forehands and a double fault conceded the break for 5-3 but then it was Vekic's turn to blink.

She spurned two set points before a pair of double faults allowed Konta back in and it was the Croatian who was relieved with a tie-break after saving four break points at 5-5.

Konta blazed a short forehand long but recovered to lead 5-4 before unleashing a 112mph serve to earn two set points of her own.

Vekic missed a forehand and the set was Konta's.

After almost an hour of metronomic hitting, Vekic changed tack at the start of the second set as three drop shots in two games caught Konta by surprise.

Two breaks to Vekic, one to Konta, again gave the former a 5-3 lead and while again she double-faulted with the finish in sight, Konta was too generous and it went to the decider.

Both players left the court and when Konta finally re-emerged she had a bag of ice in her hand.

Only two points went against serve in the opening six games, with no glimpse of a break until 5-5 when Vekic pushed Konta to deuce.

Vekic came again at 6-6, this time with a break point at 30-40, but a booming Konta backhand and slightly less convincing drop shot averted the danger.

Konta threatened briefly at 7-6, as did Vekic at 7-7, but even when Vekic double-faulted to trail 8-7 and 0-30, she delivered four demon serves to hold.

Two misjudged drop shots from Konta offered Vekic another break point at 8-8 but she ballooned a return long off a second serve before watching an attempted pass hit the net cord and plop short.

Konta was yet to earn a break point in the set but her first was a match point at 9-8 after a Vekic forehand drifted long. Vekic saved it with an ace but a cross-court forehand gave Konta another.

This time she converted as Vekic missed a forehand, and Konta thrashed her arms with relief.