Miami: Johanna Konta lofted the ball off the baseline for a winner on championship point, waited for instant replay to confirm the call and even then hesitated to celebrate the visctory which was the biggest title of her 11-year career.
It took Johanna some time to get where she is, but the Britisher can now call herself a Miami Open champion. And that might just be the beginning of new era in her career.
Konta, currently seeded 10th, was an unlikely champion, but she beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 in Saturday’s final at the Miami Open.
Konta, a late bloomer at 25, improved to 19-3 this year and will climb to a career-high No. 7 next week. She was the first British woman to reach a Miami Open final, a tournament she was unable to qualify for two years ago.
The more aggressive player in the final, Konta finished with 33 winners, compared with eight for the 12th-seeded Wozniacki. Konta showed her versatility on the final point, drawing Wozniacki to the net with a drop shot and then floating a lob off the back of the line for the clincher.
Konta received $1.18 million. Her other titles came at Sydney this year and Stanford in 2016.
Both finalists benefited from the absence of Serena Williams, eight time champion, who missed the tournament because of a knee injury.
