Johanna Konta beat Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai 6-4, 6-1 to reach the semifinals at the Australian Open, becoming the first British woman to advance the last four of a Grand Slam event since 1983.
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Konta, who was just relieved to make it through to the second round after upstaging former world number one Venus Williams, added: “I still approach every match exactly the same”.
As for Konta, she is maintaining the upward trend set when she reached past year s US Open fourth round, the highlight of a break-out season when she leapt more than 100 rankings places.
Zhang, from the northern Chinese port of Tianjin, had virtually resolved that Melbourne Park would be her last grand slam, so she brought her parents with her to watch her play.
“Every time I got a little ahead, she was constantly there”, Konta would later surmise.
Kerber faced three set points trailing 5-2 in the second, and two more at 5-4, but turned the set in her favour by cutting loose and swinging for the fences, storming home to clinch the match and setting up a semifinal against Konta.
A break each at the start of the second kept things tight but, as in the first set, Konta surged into a 3-1 lead with the more assertive style from the back. I feel happy I got the reward in the end. “I just made sure I came out and played the best I could”.
But Kerber, who had never beaten the 14th-seed in their six previous meetings, out-hit the Belarusian winning 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and 45 minutes. “I am not proud of that”. I’m so lucky I didn’t finish past year.
The eighth game, however, saw a shift in momentum as Zhang, perhaps loosened up by her deficit, swung more freely while Konta, with the set in her grasp, grew tight.
The victory marks Konta’s best ever performance at a grand slam, going one stage further than her breakthrough US Open run to the fourth round in September.
Makarova took a lengthy toilet break, presumably to recover her focus, and then one game later a medical time for a blister on her foot.
“I think it was a very important experience”, she said.
The tranquillity of Eastbourne, compared with the hustle of a big city, suits Konta’s outlook on life, a belief in the journey being as important as the destination, or in her case, the career goals.
In announcing the review, ATP Chairman Chris Kermode said the reports had “caused damage to the sport”, which compelled the major stakeholders in tennis – the International Tennis Federation, ATP and WTA tours, and the four Grand Slams – to take quick action to address the issue.
Johanna Konta of Britain celebrates after defeating Andrea Petkovic of Germany in their match at the U.S. Open Championships tennis tournament in New York, September 5, 2015.
“Before the draw, I already guessed I would play Halep, because all the time I play the top players”, the 27-year-old told BBC Sport.
Ferrer is a two-time semifinalist at the Australian Open and a finalist at the 2013 French Open. She’s showed that time and time again over the last numerous years.
If patriotic stirrings were few and far between in the arena itself, some credit should be paid to Konta for mostly ignoring the demands of the local media to play up her Australianness over the last week.
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“They would point to Zhang and say this one has no chance”.
