British No.1 Konta reaches last eight..and now she targets making the final of the French Open
JO KONTA insists she has not reached her goal by winning through to the French Open quarter-finals – now she wants to go all the way.
Jo Durie, the last British woman to reach the last eight here, claimed Konta is a contender to win her first Grand Slam.
And Annabel Croft said the world No.26 is playing the best tennis of her life.
After never winning a match at Roland Garros before this year, Konta carried on her red-hot clay form on a boiling day by beating Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-2 6-4.
Now she meets former US Open champion Sloane Stephens (right) for the chance to play her third Grand Slam semifinal – and her first since Wimbledon 2017. Konta said: “I have only been at this stage of a Grand Slam a handful of times so to be back here, I’m definitely very pleased.
“This is not my end goal or anything. I would love to be here until the very end. I trust in my ability. And I enjoy being in this position. I have not been here for a couple of years.
“I am really pleased to be here and looking forward to the next match.”
World No.1 Naomi Osaka and three-time champion Serena Williams have been eliminated from the other side of the draw while Konta has a winning record against every seed left in the tournament.
Durie, who beat Tracey Austin in the 1983 quarterfinals here, said: “Looking down the draw, Jo’s beaten most of these players and that’s important. But there will be a lot of them who might study the draw and think, ‘Why not me?’’’
It is hard to comprehend how Konta had struggled on clay before this season as she struck 33 winners against Vekic.
“To win like that in front of a crowd like that gives you goosebumps,” she said.
Eurosport commentator Croft said: “I’m not sure I’ve seen Jo Konta play this well, to be honest, particularly on a clay court.
“It’s back to that sort of form that got her to the semis at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. But I think her level is even up a couple of notches.”
Konta revealed escaping the tennis bubble and being less emotional about her game has helped her best ever clay-court season.
She said: “I’m staying in an apartment here which gives me that separation, which is nice.
“I look to try and stay in places where you can disconnect a little bit.
“Official hotels on tour can be a bit like a playerlounge – exhausting.”
Londoner Joe Salisbury and his American partner Rajeev Ram are through to the quarter-finals in the men’s doubles after beating No.8 seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers 3-6 6-3 7-6.