The Malta Independent on Sunday
Johanna Konta beats Caroline Wozniacki to become first British woman to win Miami Open
Tennis - Miami Open
Johanna Konta landed what surely counts as the biggest title by any British woman for 40 years as she beat Caroline Wozniacki in the final of the Miami Open.
It was a stellar performance from Konta, who now rises to a career-best position of No. 7 in the world, as she broke Wozniacki’s serve to love in the opening game of the match and maintained her superiority throughout the next 95 minutes.
With a prize fund of around £950,000 for the winner, the Miami Open is one of the richest and most prestigious events on the WTA calendar, as well as having a long and vivid history as the former Lipton Championships.
No British woman had even made the quarter-finals here until Konta did it last year, and now she has run off with the title.
It is quite some feat, especially when you consider that she is only visiting Crandon Park for the second time, having spent most of her professional career ranked too low to even make the qualifying tournament.
Wozniacki was an ideal opponent to draw in the final, as their previous meeting in Australia in January had delivered a onesided victory for Konta.
Even more helpfully, the Dane was struggling with a foot injury that required treatment early in the second set.
But really this was just a contrast of styles in which Konta had all the power and the initiative and Wozniacki’s best hope was to filibuster her way through the rallies until an error came her way.
By the close of Konta’s 6-4, 6-3 victory, she had racked up 32 clean winners to her opponent’s meagre tally of eight.
A perfect sliced lob finished the contest and delivered the most significant prize of Konta’s career. Andy Murray is no longer the only British player to see Miami as a home from home.