She’s been at pains to pledge her allegiance to Britain,but Johanna Konta’s Australian Open sprint might yet see locals jump on a grand slam bandwagonThe self-proclaimed sporting capital of a nation not shy on consuming huge slabs of live action, Melbourne provided a disappointingly sparse backdrop for former Sydneysider Johanna Konta’s Australian Open quarter-final win over China’s Zhang Shuai on Wednesday.Those at Rod Laver Arena were actually witnessing a historical event of sorts because in front of their eyes, or Konta became the first British woman in 32 years to feature in grand slam finals action. The Brit received hearty applause when introduced but the stadium was still only half-full by the time she’d wrapped up the first set. There was also plenty of like for Zhang,who has delighted so many Melburnians over the past week after failing to progress beyond the first round of grand slam tournaments in every one of her previous 10 attempts. Australian sports fans are nothing if not appreciators of an underdog battle. Related: Johanna Konta marches into Australian Open semi-final by beating Zhang Shuai Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com