No panic for in-form Konta

– Johanna Konta (above) says she has learned not to panic in big moments after holding her nerve to blast into her second straight Australian Open quarterfinal yesterday.

And the in-form British ninth seed will need to keep her wits about her when she faces her next opponent – the mighty Serena Williams, who is in search of a 23rd Grand Slam crown.

The 25-year-old, who has been in imperious form, swatted aside Russian 30th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-1, 6-4 in suffocating heat.

It was her ninth win in a row after lifting this month’s Sydney International title, a streak she attributes to a new belief that she can overcome hurdles in pressure situations.

“I think more than anything it’s more trying to disassociate myself from the importance of the moment,” she said.

“I think it’s more keeping things in perspective and not panicking if I were to lose that service game or that point.

“I think just keeping things in good perspective and just having trust in myself that however the match swings, I will always be there to give my best and to always try to leave it all out on court.”

Konta has blossomed over the past two years, crediting not just a new mental attitude but greater maturity for her progress.

It helped her last year become the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since 1983 in an eye-catching performance at Melbourne Park, where she was making her debut.

Konta had won all three of her previous matches with Makarova, including at the same stage of the Australian Open last year, and the Russian never looked like getting her revenge. – AFP