Humbling experience: Great Britain’s Johanna Konta beats Venus Williams to claim first singles crown
The hard-hitting Brit outslugged top seed Williams to capture her first career title at the Bank of the West Classic after posting a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 victory
As Johanna Konta pounded the ball from every spot on the court on Sunday and rarely missed, there were moments Venus Williams could do little more than applaud her opponent’s stellar day as winners whipped down the line and drop shots fell perfectly.
With a crowd of 2,268 largely rooting for the American icon Williams, Konta regularly reminded herself to breathe to keep her mind on the match and not her daunting task.
The hard-hitting Konta outslugged top seed Williams to capture her first career singles title at last while playing for her first championship, winning the Bank of the West Classic 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.
“It’s actually quite an incredibly humbling experience. It’s a great validation of the hard work you’ve been putting in and it’s a great motivator on the things you want to keep getting better at,” she said.
“I played her twice previously. I knew going into it I was going to be playing against a magnitude of experience. Venus Williams doesn’t need an introduction.”