Miami: Johanna Konta defeated Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 to win the Miami Open on Saturday evening- the biggest title won by a British woman in 40 years.
Konta, who had never won an elite WTA premier mandatory event, will move to number seven in the world rankings with the victory.
The Sydney-born 25-year-old, who beat Venus Williams in the semis, began superbly, breaking to love in the opening game before Wozniacki swiftly broke back to level at 2-2.
After another break each, the Briton took advantage of two double-faults from the Dane to break to 5-4 and serve out for the set.
There was a similar pattern to the start of the second set, with the pair exchanging breaks in the first two game. The key moment came when Konta broke to go 4-3 up, with a little help from the net cord.
Clearly full of confidence, Konta then broke again, with a lob on match-point, to secure the biggest win of her career and the best by a British woman since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977.
No British woman had ever won a premier mandatory event since the elite tier was introduced in 2009 and this was only the second time that Konta had even qualified for the Miami tournament.
The Briton said her quick start had really helped her in what was just her second premier mandatory final, following her loss to Agnieszka Radwanska in Beijing in 2016.
"Going into any match but especially against someone like Caroline who is such an athlete and can really stay out there as long as she needs, I think it was important for me to assert myself right away in the manner that I wanted to play ... to give myself the best chance of executing what I wanted tactically," Konta said.
Konta conceded that there was little to choose between herself and her Danish opponent, who she also beat in the Australian Open in January.
"Until the end there wasn't too much in it. I tried to not wish time away and to really stay out there as long as possible and really enjoy competing. I think even when it was finished I was expecting more points to come," she said.
It was Wozniacki's third final of the year and third defeat following her loses in Dubai and Doha.
"I was hoping it was going to be third time lucky in my third final but we will go for the fourth one," said Wozniacki, who nonetheless said she was pleased with the consistency she has shown in the first quarter of the season.
"I think I can take a lot out of this first part of year in general. I think I can take a lot of positives from that and just build on it.
"That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to learn from the things that I can do better, but at the same time not beat myself up too much and just keep working and doing what I'm doing."
Miami win puts Konta in spotlight
Johanna Konta's days of flying under the radar are numbered now that the Briton has bagged her biggest title yet at the Miami Open.
The 25-year-old will rise to a career-high seventh in the world rankings next week after a start to the year in which she won in Sydney, reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and then claimed her first premier mandatory tournament on the hard courts of Key Biscayne.
Konta recently noted that the success of world number one Andy Murray in the men's game has kept the attention and pressure of the media and fans in Britain away from her, but she can be sure that the level of expectation will rise sharply ahead of this year's Wimbledon.
Former leading British women's player Sam Smith, now a television analyst, said hat while Konta may not yet be aware of how her status in British sport is about to change, she is confident Konta can handle what is coming her way.
"Someone needs to tell her 'Jo it is going to be different' but you know what, I think she will handle it. I think she will probably speak to Andy as well, because it is going to be really big if she continues this upward progression," Smith said.
Murray's advice, if requested, will no doubt be forthcoming and, given the Scotsman has come through years of hype around Wimbledon, sage.
Smith's confidence in Konta's ability to cope with the attention is largely based on the Sydney-born player's evident intelligence, professionalism and calmness.
But those qualities, essential though they are, do not weaken in any way Konta's drive and ambition to get to the very top in the sport.
"I think I've always had the belief of wanting to become a Grand Slam champion, wanting to become the best in the world," Konta said after downing former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets in the Miami final on Saturday.
"I think that stays throughout, with every player I imagine, their career. Without that, I don't think it makes the victories as sweet or, I think, the defeats as motivating. I think that stays.
