Skip to content

Johanna Konta expects long match with Caroline Wozniacki in Miami final

Johanna Konta en route to beating Venus Williams in Miami
Image: Johanna Konta en route to beating Venus Williams in Miami

Johanna Konta expects to have plenty of long rallies when she takes on Caroline Wozniacki in the final of the Miami Open.

Victory in Florida this weekend would provide the British world No 11 with her greatest title to date but she understands the challenges she faces against the 26-year-old Dane.

The No 10 seed said: "I'm definitely going to be looking forward to playing a lot of balls and a lot of tough points.

"She's one of the best athletes in the game. She ran a marathon for goodness sake.

"I'm sure it'll be a match where I'll be running for a lot of balls but hopefully we'll give a great match for the final."

Konta set up the showdown by outlasting Venus Williams in a match that finished just after midnight.

Caroline Wozniacki serves during her victory over Karolina Pliskova
Image: Caroline Wozniacki serves during her victory over Karolina Pliskova

Despite eight breaks of serve during the two-hour encounter, there was little to choose between the two players which the former world No 1 American lost 6-4 7-5.

Also See:

Konta, who recovered from 1-3 down in the second set, admitted: "I think there was so little in this match to go either way, so I'm just very pleased that I was able to really capitalise on a few more opportunities than her.

"Every time I get to play Venus I always look forward to the battle.

"She's also been playing such a high level so far this year. I think she's very fit, and so I had no doubt that she was going to be there until the very, very end."

Britain's Johanna Konta (L) shakes hands with Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki
Image: Konta beat Wozniacki 6-3 6-1 in January

Wozniacki, a former world No 1 who has won 25 WTA Tour titles worldwide compared to just two by Konta, survived a topsy-turvy match with the second-seeded Karolina Pliskova.

The Czech player was beaten 5-7 6-1 6-1 by Wozniacki who failed to convert any of her three set points in the opening set.

And the winner, ranked 14 in the world, explained: "It was definitely a mental grind. Having two or three set points in that first set and ending up losing it is kind of depressing.

Live ATP Masters Tennis

"But I got a good start to the second set and that got me fired up and I just kept playing."

And she now meets Konta who beat Wozniacki in their only previous meeting earlier this year in Melbourne when the Briton conceded just four games in round three.

Wozniacki, who completed the 2014 New York Marathon in less than three-and-a-half hours, added: "Fitness is something I'm working really hard on every day. It's a huge part of my game."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Greg Rusedski talks Roger Federer, Davis Cup and Jo Konta

Grab a Sky Sports Month Pass for half price, and let us knock your sporting socks off with a blockbuster month of sport on NOW TV. All for just £16.99.

For those on the move, we will have the Miami Open covered on Sky Sports News HQ and via our website skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad or our Twitter account @skysportstennis for news, reports, live blogs and expert analysis.

Non-subscribers can grab a NOW TV Sky Sports Day Pass for just £6.99 or Sky Sports Week Pass for £10.99. No contract. You can enjoy access to all seven Sky Sports channels and watch on a TV with a NOW TV Box or on a range of devices.

Around Sky