… Plays Muguruza in women’s fi nal
Five-time winner Venus Williams ended Johanna Konta’s hopes of becoming the first British woman to reach the Wimbledon final for 40 years. Venus will now face Muguruza in the women’s fi nal of the championship tomorrow. Th e nation’s hopes were resting on Konta after defending champion Andy Murray crashed out of the tournament, losing to American Sam Querrey on Wednesday, and spectators on Centre Court waved Union Jack fl ags and cheered for the last
Briton standing in the singles competition. Konta was aiming to write her name into Wimbledon folklore as she looked to become the fi rst Briton into the women’s fi nal since Virginia Wade won the title in 1977, but the American had other ideas by pulling off a masterful 6-4 6-2 win in 73 minutes. Victory helped Williams reach her ninth Wimbledon fi nal and fi rst since 2009, a year after she won at the All England Club for the most recent of her seven Grand Slam titles. Konta, playing in only her second major semi-fi nal, squandered two opportunities to break the veteran’s serve in the ninth game before Williams broke the home favourite in the fi nal game to take the opening set 6-4 after 38 minutes. Th e 37-year-old was demonstrating a sublime display of power-hitting and clinically broke her opponent’s resistance in the fourth game of the second set before a solid hold of serve enabled her to inch closer. Garbine Muguruza powered her way into the Wimbledon women’s fi nal with a 6-1 6-1 demolition of Magdalena Rybarikova in just 64 minutes on Centre Court.
