Miami nice for ice-cool Konta
MIKE DICKSON
JO KONTA’S punishing work regime came good yesterday when she became the first British woman to make the semi-finals of the Miami Open by outlasting world No 5 Simona Halep in baking hot Florida. The 25-year-old British No 1 clung on long enough to profit from her opponent’s bountiful mistakes and win 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 in a gruelling two-and-a-half hours. Konta said: ‘It came down to focusing on breathing and hydrating and not stressing.’ Halep took the first set with two breaks before the Brit eked out the second. She missed a simple volley that would have put her 4-0 up, then allowed the Romanian back in to serve for the match at 5-4. However, Halep’s forehand was now disintegrating and Konta closed out the tie-break 9-7. That was the cue for Konta to take an absurdly long bathroom break as the Romanian seethed in her chair. Konta broke for 3-2 in the deciding set before seeing it out. In the men’s event, Kei Nishikori lost his lasteight tie 6-4, 6-2 to unseeded Italian Fabio Fognini. Meanwhile, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, winners of last year’s Australian and US Opens, crashed out of the men’s doubles. The Scot and his Brazilian partner suffered a 2-6, 6-3, 10-8 defeat to Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo in their quarter-final clash. It wasn’t the boost Murray was seeking as he heads into Great Britain’s Davis Cup last-eight tie against France in Rouen from April 7-9 when he will partner Dom Inglot in the absence of brother Andy through injury.
MARIA SHARAPOVA said she fought for the truth in order to eventually end her career on her own terms. The former world No 1 was initially banned for two years after failing a doping test before having it reduced to 15 months on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.