Konta shows grit and British heart

Johanna Konta was born in Australia to Hungarian parents and trained in Spain, but she is the reigning darling of Britain.

Konta, 26, who likes to discuss muffin baking and her adoration of the band U2, captivated her adopted nation Tuesday by ending a 39-year spell of futility for British women at Wimbledon.

The sixth-seeded Konta, who gained her British citizenship in 2012, came from a set down to defeat No. 2 Simona Halep, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-4, and became the first British woman to advance to a Wimbledon singles semifinal since Virginia Wade in 1978.

“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, referring to the Grand Slam tournament.

Wade, who is also the last British woman to win the event, in 1977, watched nervously from the royal box, and when victory was ensured, she beamed with joy and high-fived the guests sitting near her in a celebration of British tennis.

“I was so happy for her,” Wade told a pool reporter. “I know how much pressure there is, but she behaves very nicely.”

But Konta’s next barrier in her quest is a tall one. She will play No. 10 Venus Williams, a fivetime Wimbledon singles champion who beat the reigning French Open champion, Jelena Ostapenko, 6-3, 7-5, with little difficulty.

Konta was not the only player to achieve a milestone for her nation on Tuesday. The unseeded Magdalena Rybarikova became the first woman from Slovakia to reach a Wimbledon semifinal when she beat CoCo Vandeweghe, 6-3, 6-3.

The match was suspended in the middle of the second set because of rain and then moved to Centre Court. Vandeweghe, who had been playing so well under her new coach, Pat Cash, handed Rybarikova more than half of her 59 points, with 30 unforced errors and seven double faults.

“That’s why Grand Slams are the hardest tournaments,” Vandeweghe said. “They’re over two weeks, and you have to play well for two weeks.”