Australian Open 2016: Angelique Kerber conquers Johanna Konta to enter first final

Zhang, who staged one of the best upsets at the 2016 Australian Open after defeating world No. 2 Simona Halep in their opener, bowed out of the first Grand Slam event of the year after losing to Britain’s Johanna Konta 6-4 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena. Scarily dominant in this year’s tournament, Williams is the overwhelming favourite to win her seventh Australian Open title and collect her 22nd Grand Slam trophy, tying the record of Kerber’s compatriot Steffi Graf. “Now that was my focus, to play better in the bigger ones”, said Kerber, who now stands one win away from becoming the first German to capture a major since Steffi Graf won the last of her 22 slams at Roland Garros in 1999. “I don’t feel it, I just feel like I’m just playing the best I can and you know, I can’t believe I’m in the final!”

The second set was closer, with Radwanska holding serve three times and breaking Serena’s powerful serve once.

Defeated Brit Johanna Konta is refusing to see her Australian Open semi-final as a lost opportunity, instead moving on to the possibilities for the season ahead. Her championship titles at three of the four major tournaments plus one more left the world in awe.

The world number one’s exploits come after a knee injury restricted her to just over a set of tennis at the Hopman Cup earlier in January. A stray backhand from Konta sealed the set and Kerber’s spot in the final, 6-2. “I worry about every match”, she said.

“She goes on court and she just wants to kill it. Going like full power for everything”. But we’ll see. I think… it will be a really good match. The 25-year-old Canadian beat Gael Monfils of France 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. “I was just standing there kind of watching her playing”.

Her performance was so complete, 18-time major victor Chris Evert asked her fellow TV commentators on ESPN, “How can you say she’s not the greatest of all time when she plays like this?”

“I think it s good, especially that I did semi-finals here and I won the tournament (Shenzhen) before”, she said of her form.

The German was ultimately too consistent, making just 11 unforced errors to Konta’s 36, and she ran away with the contest during a convincing second set. “I’ll be trying to give all on court”.

Kerber also paid tribute to Konta and her unbelievable two weeks.

Williams, however, Williams broke again in the ninth game and then served out to end Radwanska’s agony on Rod Laver Arena.

Although her level dipped in the second set, Williams got the decisive break in the ninth game to go up 5-4 and then closed out the match in a brisk 64 minutes. She became the first British woman since Jo Durie in 1983 to get that far in a Grand Slam.

“I didn’t really think that I was playing bad”, Radwanska, 24, told reporters. I beat top players. “I’m really hungry to keep improving and keep enjoying what I’m doing”.

She has a Hungarian passport too and has described herself as “the female version of Jason Bourne”.