Understandably, Konta looked a little overwhelmed at the start, having never gone past the fourth round of a major before. The seventh-seeded Kerber raced out to a 3-0 lead while Konta was still finding her rhythm. When that happened, she reeled off four straight games, using the effective baseline tactics that have quickly made her a dangerous competitior on tour. Her body language improved and her energy rose, while Kerber appeared unsteadied for the first time.
As things got tighter at 4-all, Kerber’s experience took over and she used her backboard defense to force Konta into more errors. Konta would compile 20 unforced errors to Kerber’s six by the end of the first set.
“She’s an incredibly tough player,” Konta said. “I think she’s one of the, if not the most consistent players on the tour. And that’s no secret. She really makes every single ball possible and makes you work for every single point. She definitely played with a little bit more experience than I did.”
A few raindrops scattered the court despite sunny skies, causing some confusion and a slight delay. After that, Konta faltered just a tiny bit, but enough for the Kerber train to steamroll for the set, and then to a quick 2-0 lead in the second set.
The match began to look routine for the lefty as she pulled Konta around, forcing errors and digging in deep to lengthen points. Kerber forces her opponents to go for more, which is exactly what Konta found herself doing.
Kerber kept rolling, and despite a few big shots from Konta, the lead was solidly in her court at 5-2. But a couple erratic moments and a poorly chosen drop shot revealed Kerber’s nerves at the momentous occasion.
“I think the nerves, yeah, that was actually the big challenge for me today,” Kerber said. “Also today I was trying to being focused and being quiet and just thinking about the match, about every single point.”
Konta’s normally reliant backhand ultimately failed her when she needed it most. She missed a backhand return long to give Kerber the win on her first match point.
Konta has nothing to be ashamed of. The 24-year-old became the first Brit to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since 1983, and should be a fixture in the second week of Slams going forward.
“I don’t think I missed an opportunity,” Konta said. “I played against a better player today who earned her right into a Grand Slam final. That’s how I view it. She played a really, really good match. That’s why she is the winner today and I’m not today.”