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Johanna Konta in the first round of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, WTA San Jose 2018
Johanna Konta in the first round of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, WTA San Jose 2018 | Anita Stah;

Konta stuns Serena Williams: ‘Played the player, not her achievements’

Anita Stahl
Tennis

By Anita Stahl

  • Johanna Konta defeats Serena Williams 6-1, 6-0
  • Defeat marks worst score in Williams’ professional career
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, USA — Johanna Konta beats Serena Williams 6-1, 6-0, the most lopsided defeat of the American’s professional career.

 

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Johanna Konta def. Serena Williams 6-1, 6-0

Serena Williams in the first round of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, WTA San Jose 2018
Serena Williams in the first round of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, WTA San Jose 2018 | Anita Stahl

In over 20 years of her professional tennis career, nobody has beaten Serena Williams in as lopsided a fashion as Johanna Konta did in San Jose, California Tuesday night in the opening round of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic. Williams served first and held with an ace, before Konta proceeded to win the next 12 games. In the 51 minutes, Konta did not face a single break point.

Konta took advantage of every weakness Williams showed by keeping the focus entirely on her own game. Not allowing Williams’s record of achievement to intimidate her, Konta played her best tennis and met Williams where she was, which was a lower bar than she had set for herself at Wimbledon just a few weeks before.

As Konta acknowledged: “It’s apparent that she can play much better than she did today, but I have to go out there and play the player that I’m facing on the day and the level that she was going to produce on the day and I was happy I was able to deal with that well. It’s hard to play against someone—there’s only one like her—that’s achieved so much in the sport, and not play all the achievements as well and just really try to play her on the day and her as just any other player, which she is not.”

Speaking with press after the defeat, Williams gave Konta credit for playing an outstanding match, while expressing disappointment in her own performance and trying to remain positive this early in the hard-court swing:

“I think she played well in the second set, and I think, I wasn’t sharp at all in the first set and then I think she got confident and clearly ran away with it.”

“I’m just taking everything a day at a time. Like I said, I think she played better in this match than she did in about 18 months so I think that’s a good thing for her. I know I can play a zillion times better so that kind of helps out too.

“I have so many things on my mind, I don’t have time to be shocked about a loss that clearly wasn’t at my best right now and I can only try to be there and when I was out there I was fighting and that’s the only thing I can say and I wasn’t giving it away I was fighting. Just trying to take the positives out of it.”

Konta will face Sofia Kenin on Stadium Court, not before 3pm (11pm BST).

 

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