Konta makes history by beating Halep in quarter-final epic

Johanna Konta went past Simona Halep 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 6-4 in a closely fought match and became the the first British woman to reach the last four in almost 40 years.

Konta will next face five-time champion Venus Williams in the semifinals.

Johanna Konta sealed a Wimbledon semi-final spot on Tuesday in a feast of tension-filled tennis, powering past Simona Halep 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 6-4 to become the first British woman to reach the last four in almost 40 years.

The second-seeded Romanian shaded the early Centre Court exchanges, pouncing on errors and breaking serve to lead 3-0, as the Briton struggled to keep her searing groundstrokes in court.

But with cheers and cries of “C'mon Jo” echoing around the roofed-in arena, sixth seed Konta fought back, cranking up her serve and winning eight straight points to draw level at 4-4.

Halep won the first set on a tiebreak with Konta, having squandered a clutch of break points, returning the favour in the second.

The intensity moved up a notch in the third set as the Briton hit harder and the Romanian tightened her defence, before Konta broke in the fifth game and held her nerve to serve the match out.

Virginia Wade was the last British woman to reach the semi-finals in 1978.