By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Johanna Konta edged Simona Halep in a thriller, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-4, to become the first British woman since 1978 to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.
Photo credit: Ashley Western/CameraSport
A piercing premature scream erupted from a woman in the Centre Court crowd cracking the match-point tension and spooking Simona Halep.
Johanna Konta rode a wave of bold strikes and crowd spikes into the Wimbledon semifinals denying Halep the world No. 1 ranking in the process.
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Deadlocked at 5-all in the second-set tiebreak, the second-ranked Halep was two points from clinching a semifinal spot and seizing the top spot.
Stepping into the court and driving the ball with ambition, Konta roared back for a 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory becoming the first British woman since Virginia Wade in 1978 to advance to the Wimbledon semifinals.
Wade was watching this match from the front row 33 years after her own semifinal run and looked entranced by what she witnessed.
"I guess to be in the semifinals of my home slam, and to do that in front of a full Centre Court, I mean, it's pretty, pretty special," Konta said. "I think the level of tennis that both of us played today, it was just a tremendous match.
"So I think just to be a part of a match like that again. I've been very fortunate this Championships, I've had two of those now, I feel very lucky."
The victory faults Konta into a semifinal against five-time champion Venus Williams and means world No. 3 Karolina Pliskova, who was bounced in the second round by Magdalena Rybarikova, will supplant Angelique Kerber as world No. 1 when the new WTA rankings are released Monday.
A pulsating match echoed with effort as the pair pushed each other all over the court beneath the closed Centre Court roof.
"Right now it’s a little bit surreal," Konta told the BBC afterwards. "It’s quite incredible how quickly things go in tennis. Things happen very quickly. I’m definitely digesting things a little bit."
Eye-popping court coverage from Halep, combined with Konta's forehand return misfiring early in the match posed problems. To her credit, Konta kept calm and continued swinging with menacing intent.
Ultimately, Konta took more risk and was rewarded. Konta cracked 22 more winners than Halep (48 to 26) and won 24 of 32 net points against one of the sport's premier defenders in a match that popped with electric exchanges.
"I definitely felt very clear on what I was trying to achieve out there regardless of what she threw at me and if it was going my way or not," Konta said. "I just tried to create as many opportunities as possible. I knew she really was not going to give me much for free."
Two-time Roland Garros runner-up Halep took the court knowing victory would seal her spot as the 23rd woman to rise to the WTA world No. 1 ranking.
Though Halep lost her shot to attain No. 1, she should hold her head high. Facing a pro-Konta crowd, she competed valiantly right up until that premature scream on match point.
"I think was a great tennis," Halep said. "Both of us played a good level. I was very close, again. In the tiebreak maybe I could serve better and stronger a little bit. Then in the third set, the serve game that I lost was a little bit tough to still believe that I can break her because she was serving pretty well.
"I think everything was okay. Many positives from this match. And she played really well, so she deserves to win."
Halep’s serenity and speed around the court—combined with Konta’s forehand falling apart on break points in the early stages—put the world No. 2 on the verge of history.
Quieting the buzzing crowd, Halep broke Konta in her opening service game.
Fending off a break point in the following game, Halep drew successive return errors working through the test for 3-0 after 11 minutes of play.
Striking cleanly and changing direction shrewdly, Halep had five winners against zero unforced errors as she held for 4-1.
At that point, Konta began cracking the ball with fierce intent while dialing in her drives. Konta reeled off eight straight points belting a backhand winner crosscourt for a love break to get back on serve at 3-4.
The sixth-seeded Briton’s serve, particularly her decisive second delivery, is a bigger weapon than her opponent’s serve. Down love-30 in the eighth game, Konta cranked successive aces storming back to hold for 4-all. By then she’d won 12 of the prior 14 points.
Tremendous defense helped Halep slow the Brit’s roll in the ninth game.
Each time Konta made a push to wrench control of the set, Halep struck back.
A sweeping swinging forehand volley put a flashy finish to Halep’s hold for 6-5.
An electric exchange spiked the third point of the tiebreak. Darting forward, Halep’s knee was nearly touching the turf as she knifed a short-angle backhand pass capping a brilliant point for 2-1. Halep handed it right back with a jittery double fault.
Anticipation, quickness and a fast first-step helped Halep scratch out a 4-2 lead when Konta bashed a forehand kill shot long. Gulping deep breaths between points, Konta put a forehand into net and Halep zapped a diagonal forehand winner for set points at 6-2.
Drilling another forehand down the line, Halep silenced the Centre Court crowd and brought coach Darren Cahill to his feet applauding a gritty 52-minute set.
Keeping calm on pivotal points, Halep crafted the right balance of offense and defense, ripping her forehand when the opportunity was there and defending with vigor coaxing shaky forehands from Konta.
The good news for Konta was she continued to put herself in winning positions. The bad news was she wasn’t converting. Konta earned two break points at the start of the second set, but missed three returns in the next four points. Halep held to level after two games.
The first British woman quarterfinalist in 33 years streamed through a love hold for 4-3. Then Konta turned up the heat on Halep.
Driving through her legs, Konta cranked a crosscourt backhand winner for double break point. In a familiar refrain she failed to put successive returns into play. Two more forehand returns failed as Halep held on for 4-all.
Stamping a love hold, Halep forced the tie break.
Deadlocked at 5-all, Halep was two points from a career-changing triumph.
Konta kept thumping away at the moveable wall in front of her.
Centre Court fans were waiting for reason to erupt. One hour 49 minutes into the match, Konta gave it to them.
A forehand dagger down the line gave her set point. Konta pushed Halep wide with her forehand, stepped in, measured her two-hander and hammered it crosscourt leveling the match to ignite an eruption.
Quality of the exchanges spiked again at the start of the decisive set. Attacking Halep’s forehand, Konta cranked out a cluster of winners, including a forehand drive to hold for 1-all.
Konta got the forehand return right and followed it flattening out another forehand for double break point. Moving Halep wide, Konta drew a floated forehand breaking for 3-2.
Serving for the semifinals at 5-4, Konta bolted a backhand to punctuate a tremendous running rally. Reading the direction of a Halep forehand, Konta held her ground spinning a crosscourt reply for double match point.
Amid a premature—and rude—celebration scream from someone in the crowd, Halep armed a forehand into the middle of the net bringing an oddly anti-climactic conclusion to a sensational match that spanned two hours, 38 minutes.