MELBOURNE — Johanna Konta ground down Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai 6-4 6-1 at the Australian Open on Wednesday to become the first British woman to reach the semi-finals of a grand slam in over 30 years.
The 47th-ranked Konta will seek to continue her fairytale run on Thursday when she meets German seventh seed Angelique Kerber for a place in the title-decider.
Konta's rise has been little short of extraordinary, with her last trip to Melbourne Park cut short with a humbling exit at qualifying when ranked 147th in the world.
Twelve months on, the Sydney-born 24-year-old has emulated Eugenie Bouchard's breathtaking run at the 2014 tournament by reaching the last four on her main draw debut at Melbourne Park.