Sobbing Johanna Konta recovers from horror fall that could have ruled her out of Wimbledon to beat World No 1 Angelique Kerber
The 26-year-old Brit slipped and hit her head on match point but went on beat TWO Grand Slam champions within four hours
JO KONTA survived a scary fall to beat TWO Grand Slam champions within four hours.
The 26-year-old Brit slipped and hit her head on match point — but bravely recovered to see off world No 1 Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-4.
Konta’s amazing feat came straight after she edged a three-set epic against Jelena Ostapenko at Eastbourne, beating the French Open champion 7-5 3-6 6-4.
Yet for a moment it looked as if the British No 1 might be out of next week’s Wimbledon as she sobbed on the turf before receiving treatment for almost ten minutes.
Konta now faces Czech ace Karolina Pliskova in today’s semi-final — in a repeat clash from last year’s tournament.
Her victory over German Kerber means she is the first British woman to defeat a reigning world No 1 since Sue Barker stunned Chris Evert in Boston in 1979.
And Konta said: “I’m not feeling too bad. I’ve been checked out and there’s no concussion — I’ve just got a sore head.
“I slipped and just fell backwards. First my back and then my head went back on the ground. It’s been a busy day, not just for myself but for a lot of players. So I’m just looking forward to recovering.
“I felt I competed well in each match. They were two very different players, so I was quite happy with how I adapted.”
Konta could have been forgiven for thinking the day’s work had been done when she came from 4-2 down in the deciding set against rising Latvian star Ostapenko, 20, to reach the quarters.
But after a break of just 2½ hours she was back on court to blitz last year’s Australian and US Open winner Kerber in almost an hour less.
Yet a dream day had risked turning into a nightmare when she crashed to the court stretching for a forehand.
Her fans were holding their breath as medics treated her neck with an ice pack.
And such was the severity of the slip, it prompted ex-British No 1 Sam Smith to say on commentary: “I’ve seen some awful falls down the years — that was one of the worst.”
But Konta managed to shake off the blow to capitalise on her fourth match point, earning roars from her home crowd.
Meanwhile, Heather Watson completed a dream double by beating Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-3, then Czech Barbora Strycova 6-1 1-6 6-4.
The Guernsey-born ace, who takes on ex-world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the last four today, said: “I’m feeling fantastic but it’s been a long day.
“I’ve been working really hard over the last couple of months and have been waiting for my results to come.
“Caroline is obviously a great player and a great athlete, so I’m going to have to keep coming to the net and throw some junk around.”
Yesterday marked the first time since 1975 that two Brits made the quarter- finals of this tournament.
What odds on a maiden Eastbourne final between two players from our shores tomorrow?
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