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Johanna Konta’s career in six matches: Beating Serena Williams 6-1 6-0, winning the Miami Open...

A look back on former British No. 1 Johanna Konta’s best matches following her retirement from the sport.

Long-time British No. 1 Johanna Konta finally bowed to a persistent knee problem earlier this week, ending a career which peaked at number four in the world.
The 30-year-old had slipped to 113 in the rankings and had not been seen on the court since August when she bowed out of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati at the hands of Karolina Muchova.
The three-time grand slam semi-finalist can look back on a host of impressive achievements since her emergence in 2015.
We look back on six of Konta's best matches.

Karolina Pliskova - US Open, 2019

In the last really big moment of her career, Konta fought back from a set and 3-1 down to upset third seed Pliskova 6-7 (1) 6-3 7-5 and become the first British woman to reach the quarter-finals in New York since Jo Durie in 1983.
Striking her trademark groundstrokes fiercely, Konta fired 45 winners against her Czech opponent and kept her composure during the big points. Her run was ended by Elina Svitolina in the last eight.

Sloane Stephens - French Open, 2019

Arguably the most impressive achievement of Konta's career was reaching the French Open semi-finals having never previously won a main-draw match at Roland-Garros.
Her quarter-final victory over Sloane Stephens was peak Konta, the British No. 1 hitting the ball with unerring power and accuracy and demolishing former finalist Stephens 6-1 6-4.
A semi-final against Marketa Vondrousova represented her best chance of reaching a grand slam final but she could not replicate the performance.

Serena Williams - Silicon Valley Classic, 2018

Williams succumbed to the biggest defeat of her professional career when being blown away 6-1 6-0 in less than an hour by Konta in San Jose.
Williams, who had returned to the women's tour earlier that year after giving birth, was way below her best but it was nevertheless a remarkable scoreline.
The American later revealed she had been affected by learning just before the match that the man convicted of killing her half-sister Yetunde Price had been released from prison.

Simona Halep - Wimbledon, 2017

Konta, seeded sixth at Wimbledon in the best season of her career, prevailed in a thrilling quarter-final against world No. 2 Halep, winning 6-7 (2) 7-6 (5) 6-4 in two hours and 38 minutes.
Underpinned by an impressive serving display, Konta showed guts by sticking to her attacking game-plan and produced 48 winners.
Not since Virginia Wade, who won the tournament in 1977, had a British woman reached the last four at Wimbledon. Konta lost to Venus Williams in the last four.

Caroline Wozniacki - Miami Open, 2017

By far the biggest of Konta's four career titles came in Florida, where she defeated Halep, Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki back to back to lift the trophy.
Konta overpowered former world No. 1 Wozniacki 6-4 6-3 in the final, breaking serve six times and clinching match point with a perfect lob. The victory took her to a then career-high ranking of seventh.

Ekaterina Makarova - Australian Open, 2016

Playing in the Australian Open's main draw for the first time, Konta, then 24, came through a marathon fourth-round match against Russian Makarova to win 4-6 6-4 8-6 in just over three hours.
Konta went on to become the first British woman in 33 years to reach a grand slam semi-final.
She was beaten in straight sets by eventual champion Angelique Kerber but climbed to 28 in the world rankings.

READ MORE: Former British No. 1 Johanna Konta announces her retirement, aged 30

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