STANFORD (California): As Johanna Konta pounded the ball from every spot on the court on Sunday and rarely missed, there were moments Venus Williams could do little more than applaud her opponent’s stellar day as winners whipped down the line and drop shots fell perfectly.

With a crowd of 2,268 largely rooting for the American icon Venus, Konta regularly reminded herself to breathe to keep her mind on the match and not her daunting task.

The hard-hitting Konta outslugged top-seeded Venus to capture her first career singles title at last while playing for her first championship, winning the hardcourt Stanford Classic 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.

“It’s actually quite an incredibly humbling experience. It’s a great validation of the hard work you’ve been putting in and it’s a great motivator on the things you want to keep getting better at,” she said.

Konta, ranked 18th in the world and seeded third, appeared on her way to an emphatic victory in her first career final after racing to a 4-1 lead with two breaks of serve in the second set.

But Venus, seeking her 50th career title, won six of the next seven games to knot the match at a set apiece.

The 25-year-old Konta, who fired 12 aces to three from Venus, didn’t let the seven-time Grand Slam champion’s resurgence rattle her.

“Quite honestly you’d expect nothing less of a champion that she is,” Konta said. “That’s what great champions do. They raise their level. They definitely don’t give away a match.”

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2016