Johanna Konta illustrated the strength of her mental ability as she battled back from two points away from defeat to knock out Simon Halep 3-6,7-6(7), 6-2, at the Miami Open.
The quarter-final clash between the two was as much of a mental battle as a physical one. The two-and-a-half hour match saw Konta feel the brunt of Halep’s supreme shot-making before she triumphantly battled her way back into the match. Dropping the opening set, the second made Konta and broke her opponent into pieces.
Clawing her way back into the match with a 3-0 lead, the Brit was once again tamed as Halep went on to win four out of the following five games. The surge rewarded her the chance to serve for the match. Halep seemed destined for her first WTA semifinal since Wuhan last October, but wobbled at the critical moment to drop serve. The blip cost her dearly as world No.11 Konta weathered the storm. Coming through a lackluster tiebreak (which featured 11 breaks to serves), the Brit forced proceedings into a decider.
“I was staying present (in the match).” Konta said about her tactics. “I couldn’t afford to think too far ahead or too far behind. I had a 3-0 lead and had chances to go 4-0 in the second set.”
Konta’s resurgence rattled a frustrated Halep, who seem on the verge of a meltdown following the second set. It was a perplexing scenario for a player who had won her previous 34 matches when claiming the opening set. Even a talk with coach Darren Cahill failed to change her mood.
The consistency of the Australian-born Brit was something that Halep failed to contend with. Fighting towards the finish line, back-to-back breaks was enough to secure Konta’s place in the last four in Miami.
Producing an almost even display of 29 winners and 27 unforced errors, Konta was aided in the match by Halep downfalls. The former French Open finalist hit a total of 41 errors.
“She’s an incredible player that has been at the top of the game for quite some time. I knew it wouldn’t be over until we shook hands and I played it that way.” The world No.11 said about Halep.
Konta has become the first British women in history to reach the last four in Miami. She will next play either world No.1 Angelique Kerber or Venus Williams.
