Konta win boosts Britain’s profile at Australian Open

Australian-born Konta, who is playing in the Australian Open for the first time defeated Chinese qualifier Shuai Zhang in straight sets to reach the semi-finals.

Jamie Murray’s progress to the men’s doubles semi-finals ensured Britain had representatives in three different events at a grand slam for the first time since 1935.

Murray won the first set in relative ease, which created a first for Ferrer – he was the only man in the last eight not to have dropped a set in reaching the quarter-finals – but was broken immediately in the second. Here she cashed in on injuries that cramped the power and efficiency of the world No 2 Simona Halep for the biggest win of her career, then, her confidence sky-high, accounted for the accomplished French player Alize Cornet and the Americans Varvara Lepchenko and Madison Keys, the 15th seed who made the semi-finals here past year. She fended off two match points on her serve but a double fault gave Konta a third chance, and this time the Briton made no mistake. “I really enjoyed just competing out there and dealing with the situations that arose”.

“I think what she has achieved is incredibly special”.

Konta also joins Virginia Wade, the Australian Open champion in 1972, and Sue Barker, a semi-finalist in 1975 and 1977, as the only British women to reach the last four at the Australian Open since the open era began in 1968.

The independent review, earlier reported by The Associated Press, will be funded by the Tennis Integrity Board, which oversees the anti-corruption unit set up by the sport in 2008 to combat match-fixing, and led by Adam Smith, a London-based lawyer who is an expert in sports law.

“Any round feels like finals because of the fact that we are, you know, big rivals, we played so many times against each other”, Djokovic said. I think I will just try to focusing on my game, as well. “If she gets to the final possibly she could win, but that’s going a little too far with the way Serena (Williams) is playing”. GB could have three players in their respective finals of the Australian Open this weekend, marking a high-water mark for the sport in this country.

Her 6-3 7-5 loss on Wednesday, however, could be put down to “a bad day at the office” as she said, though it was more due to two periods of extreme hitting by the seventh-seeded German.

“She definitely didn’t make it easy for me today”, Konta said of Zhang.

Kerber stunned two-time champion Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 7-5 in the match preceding Konta’s on Rod Laver Arena.

She has won fans at Melbourne Park with her athleticism and mental composure on the court and good-humor and a polite humility in interviews after winning. “I have improved so much from past year”, Azarenka said.

She consolidated her lead with an ace, a smashed victor and delicate looping lob to go 3-1 in front as Zhang scrambled around the court looking for answers.

“I was just saying to myself “forget the score, go for it and play the best you can play today”. Now, she stands one victory away from a Grand Slam final.

Murray appeared to grab his left hamstring in pain during the second set but the world number two suggested it was an issue of fatigue rather than any muscular injury. “Johanna is a very confident individual but when you start getting very good results you develop that more and more”.