Johanna Konta stretches out wide and pings a winning forehand reply down the line and in.

The Eastbourne seagulls flutter in for a closer look at Centre Court...

From 30-30, Johanna Konta lands with a classic one-two of serve out wide and raking backhand into the opposite corner.

A slam-dunk serve - raining down from on high - is fended back into the net by Petra Kvitova.

A big hold.

Image source, Getty Images

Petra Kvitova clocks a killer forehand against the grain.

Johanna Konta does not bother running for that one. Wise move. It would have been in vain.

Where is the momentum in this match now?

After riding firmly with Petra Kvitova for the last 20 minutes, it has gone hiding again.

The Czech comes off the boil and has to save break point - Konta bunting a return long - to get to deuce.

Johanna Konta's pre-serve routine is not quite at the Rafael Nadal levels of obsessive quirkiness.

But her exaggerated ball bounce and racquet twizzle are a sight.

Whatever works though and the Briton stops a run of six successive games for Kvitova as she holds from 30-30.

Image source, Getty Images

An arm-wrestle of a game to open up the second set.

Neither player is taking a backward step, sticking stubbornly to the baseline in the face of some fierce groundstroke fire.

But Petra Kvitova's serve, full of pep and zip sees her right from deuce.

Anne Keothavong
Former British number one on BBC Red Button

Kvitova didn't looked fazed in that set but perhaps Konta started fretting a little bit internally. Konta told her trainer she felt she wasn't creating many windows for herself and felt that Kvitova was either hitting or missing. She was getting a bit down on herself.

Petra Kvitova's eyes light up as the ball sits up and she cracks it away.

Brutal hitting and the first set has been whipped out from under Johanna Konta with wicked speed.

Image source, PA

Kvitova making all the running, dictating the rallies with the points living and dying on her strings.

Johanna Konta is 15-40 down and facing two set points.

Petra Kvitova is chugging through this first set like the Flying Scotsman at full bore.

Four games in a row and now Johanna Konta needs to stop the rot and hold serve to stay in the set.

"Accept the challenge, don't resist it," says her coach Esteban Carril.

Quite.

Anne Keothavong
Former British number one on BBC Two

Petra Kvitova is very laid-back, very easy to talk to and that's why she's so popular with the other players. I saw her playing as a 16-year-old in an event in the Czech Republic and she was so raw. But you could tell she would go on to big things because of her huge serve.

Johanna Konta saved one of the break points with an ace that cleaved clean through the middle of the T.

But it is too much of a chasm to bridge.

Kvitova is flat-level on the scoreboard.

Image source, PA

Petra Kvitova is turning the tide in this match.

She clambers into a forehand return - clattering away a clean-as-a-whistle that Johanna Konta can only watch blur by.

0-40 and three break points.

Anne Keothavong
Former British number one on BBC Red Button

Every game has been tight with both players having opportunities. Kvitova has had opportunities in every Konta service game but only converted one. There are more errors coming off the Kvitova racquet than Konta's.

Petra Kvitova keeps her cards on the table in the set with a solid service hold from 15-30 down.

There are just three points in it overall - Kvitova winning 29 to Konta's 32.

These two are well-matched.  

Petra Kvitova pulls a consecutive set of goodies out of her pick-and-mix selection bag of shots.

That is one of the breaks back. But she has to hold her serve and break once more to make it back to parity.

Image source, AP

Johanna Konta's attempted drop-shot came with a first-class advance invite and Petra Kvitova arrive bang on time to whip away a winner.

30-40.

Konta forced deep onto the back foot in the next rally, but she keep clawing the ball back and Kvitova spews another ugly error to send the game to deuce.

Petra Kvitova is committing first-set hari-kari.

A waft of a forehand lands six inches wide and long, with Konta not even in the frame to leave her 15-40 adrift.

A double fault hands Jo Konta the double break.

The British number one will serve for the opening set next.

Image source, EPA

Anne Keothavong
Former British number one on BBC Two

Johanna Konta is meticulous in how she prepares and goes about things. She's very disciplined. I've practised for hours with her and what's happened to her recently has been remarkable. 

She used to fret a lot if things weren't perfect and it used to get to her. She is naturally highly strung but you can't always be perfect. She's better at managing that now and going with the flow.

A big hold from a player who has shown big-time mentality over the past 12 months.

Konta's serve snaps into shape and she sees off the danger for a clear scoreboard lead.