Konta will drop out of top 20 after loss to Venus

JOHANNA KONTA’S defence of her Miami Open title ended as Venus Williams beat the British No 1 5-7 6-1 6-2 in their fourth-round match in Key Biscayne.

The result will see 11th seed Konta drop from 14th in the world rankings to outside the top 20.

Williams, making her 19th appearance at the tournament and reaching the quarter-finals for a 13th time, enjoyed the vocal home support as she produced an outstanding display after coming off second best in a wobbly opening set.

Konta made a roaring start by breaking in the first game and she almost repeated the feet in a marathon third lasting almost 11 minutes only for Williams to recover.

The score was levelled in the sixth due to a mixture of Williams’s power and the collapse of Konta’s serve and the Briton was told to “hang in there” during a pep talk by her coach, Michael Joyce.

The words were heeded as Konta dug in to save set point before recalibrating her serve in the nick of time, wining the decisive game with some classy shots.

The Sydney-born 26-yearold’s momentum halted abruptly, however, as Williams raced 3-0 ahead in the second set and, when Konta double faulted in the seventh, her fate was effectively sealed.

A lengthy spell of treatment preceded the third set, but the lower back injury failed to prevent Konta from holding her own in the early stages before Williams pulled clear, clinching the match through an unforced error.

The 37-year-old will face fellow American Danielle Collins in the last eight. Collins triumphed 3-6 6-4 6-2 against Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig.

Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza followed Konta out of the tournament, with Sloane Stephens winning 6-3 6-4. Stephens, seeded 13, will play 10th seed Angelique Kerber.