Johanna Konta: I'm living out my childhood dream

Eastboune's Johanna Konta says she is living a childhood dream and now she must beat her childhood idol as Venus Williams stands in the way of her reaching a first Wimbledon final.

Konta battled back to win a pulsating encounter with Simona Halep 6-7 (2/7) 7-6 (7/5) 6-4 and become the only British woman to make the last four of the singles at SW19 since Virginia Wade in 1978.

It means the British number one has earned a shot at Williams, the resurgent 37-year-old and five-time Wimbledon winner, and on this evidence many will rate her chances highly.

Halep lost her way to lose the French Open final to Jelena Ostapenko last month and this defeat means she surrendered the chance to become world number one, a position that will be taken up by Karolina Pliskova on Monday.

But the Romanian could not be accused of another meltdown on Centre Court.

Konta won it, with her commitment to an aggressive baseline game and a mental fortitude that these days makes her one of the toughest competitors on the tour.

This result matches her best previous run at a grand slam, when she reached the semi-finals of last year’s Australian Open, and she now has her eyes on ending Britain’s 40-year wait for a female singles champion.

“I’ve dreamed of success in every slam but I think it makes it more special because it is home,” Konta said.

“I do get that home support, which I don’t get anywhere else. In that sense, I guess it makes it that much sweeter.

“In terms of the home support, I feel very excited and very humbled by it.

“When you get a massive crowd of people cheering, making that sort of noise in a stadium, you do get goosebumps.”