Konta wins 6-3 6-1 in just 75 minutes on Margaret Court Arena
Saturday 21 January 2017 14:27, UK
Johanna Konta's Australian Open charge shows no sign of slowing after the British No 1 beat Caroline Wozniacki to make the last 16.
Konta is ranked only 11 spots higher than world No 20 Wozniacki, but she exposed a considerable gulf in class to win 6-3 6-1 in just 75 minutes on Margaret Court Arena.
After her opening three rounds in Melbourne, Konta is yet to drop a set and continues to show why many are picking her as a genuine contender for the title.
She now faces Russian world No 34 Ekaterina Makarova, whom she beat 4-6 6-4 8-6 here last year, with the winner likely to earn a quarter-final showdown with Serena Williams.
"I definitely played a very high level today, I'm very happy to come through that," Konta said on court afterwards.
"Caroline makes you work for it - you have to win it, she doesn't give it you.
"I knew it was going to be a tough one, I wanted to from the get-go, assert myself and make sure I started and finished the match the way I wanted to play."
Konta, who made the semi-finals last year to kick-start a breakthrough season, kept the Dane on the move, pushing her around the baseline as she looked for an opening, which came in the seventh game when she worked Wozniacki wide and came to the net to smash a volley winner.
A confident Konta wasted no time in holding serve then breaking again to secure the set in 42 minutes, hitting an incredible 20 winners to Wozniacki's one.
Konta, who won the lead-up Sydney International, likes to play high on the baseline, taking the ball early and dictating the point, a tactic that left Wozniacki struggling.
She broke the former world No 1 to go 2-0 in front with the Dane, who prides herself on being one of the fittest on tour, having no answers to a player on a hot run of form.
It was one-way traffic as Konta raced to the finish line, leaving a dazed Wozniacki, who has put injury struggles aside and enjoyed a resurgence over the past year, left to wonder what hit her.
Check updates from Jo Konta, Andy Murray and Dan Evans' matches at the Australian Open by following our blog on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad or our Twitter account @skysportstennis.
By purchasing a Sky Sports Day Pass for £6.99 or Sky Sports Week Pass for £10.99, 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.