Johanna Konta overcomes Ilie Nastase drama to level Fed Cup tie for Great Britain vs Romania

Johanna Konta impressively held herself together to draw Great Britain level in their Fed Cup tie with Romania.

With Konta leading Sorana Cirstea 6-2 1-2 in the second rubber in Constanta, Romania captain Ilie Nastase was thrown off the court after insulting Konta and GB captain Anne Keothavong in a row apparently about noise from the crowd.

Play was suspended one game later, with Konta in tears, but after a stoppage of around 25 minutes she returned to win five games in a row for a 6-2 6-3 victory, levelling the tie at 1-1 after Heather Watson's loss to Simona Halep.

Former world number one Nastase was reportedly heard to say to the umpire: "What's your f***ing problem?". He then appeared to call Great Britain captain Anne Keothavong and Konta "f***ing bitches".

Nastase was sent off the court by tie referee Andreas Egli and, after taking a seat in the stands, was then escorted back to the locker room.

Halep explained to the crowd what had happened and appealed for calm before play briefly resumed.

But Konta was visibly upset and, after she played the next game in tears and dropped serve, the players left the court.

Nastase was unhappy after his comments were reported about Serena Williams' baby, which is due in the autumn. "Let's see what colour it has. Chocolate with milk?," he was heard to say on Friday.

As Nastase was escorted out of the Tenis Club IDU he again confronted British journalists and had to be restrained by security before being driven away.

An official response from the International Tennis Federation was not immediately forthcoming but the punishment is sure to be severe.

The match between Konta and Cirstea eventually resumed, with the British player winning the five games in succession to record a 6-2 6-3 victory and level the World Group II play-off at 1-1.

Additional reporting from the Press Association.