This semifinal would not have been what you have predicted at the start of the tournament — but it should not come off as a huge surprise. #JohannaKonta and #MarketaVondrousova both enjoyed fantastic clay-court seasons respectively entering the #FrenchOpen, and they proved their credentials through a series of impressive performances this fortnight.
Oddly scheduled on Court Simone Matthieu at 11 am local time, Konta and Vondrousova are into the first #RolandGarros semifinals of their career where they will both fight for a place in their maiden Grand Slam final.
Konta: Cow on Ice?
For Konta, it will be a stunning turnaround from her disastrous form since 2017. As Maria Sharapova would say, Konta can be considered a “cow on ice” before this year. Prior to 2019, the Brit had never won a main draw match at Roland Garros and never once reached a WTA quarterfinal on clay throughout her entire career.
The former world number four came into 2019 with a 15-22 win-loss record on clay in her career but stunned the tennis world when she reached the finals in Rabat and Rome. Owning a 15-3 record on clay this year, Konta overturned her poor record in Paris and now has a legitimate chance to reach her first Grand Slam final on her least-preferred surface.
Konta stormed into the semifinals losing just one set in the process, which came against Lauren Davis in the second round. She eased past rising star Viktoria Kuzmova with the loss of just three games before ousting 23rd seed Donna Vekic in straight sets.
Going up against defending finalist Sloane Stephens, who was favoured to reach the final in the bottom half, Konta put up a wonderful serving masterclass as she blasted 25 winners past the American, winning 86 percent of first serve points along the way.
Other impressive wins on clay this season include Venus Williams, Vondrousova herself, and the title favourite Kiki Bertens which all came in her run to the final in Rome.
Vondrousova: The result which we have all been waiting for
Vondrousova has always been flying under the radar throughout the first half of the year. Including Roland Garros, she has reached six consecutive quarterfinals and has only failed to reach the quarterfinals in one of her tournaments (Australian Open) this year. Only five different players have been able to defeat her this year: Pliskova, Svitolina, Van Uytvanck, Martic (twice), and her semifinal opponent Konta.
Coming into the tournament as a dark horse, Vondrousova truly exceeded her own expectations as she stormed into the semifinals without losing a set en route. She impressively beat both Anastasia Potapova and Carla Suarez Navarro to reach the second week in Paris for the first time in her career, where she stunned Anastasija Sevastova with the loss of just two games to barge into the quarterfinals.
Going up against nemesis Petra Martic, whom she has a poor 0-4 head-to-head record against, it seemed like another defeat ensued when the Czech youngster trailed 3-5 0-40 in the opening set. However, she went on to rattle off 24 of the next 27 points, mostly with winners, and albeit a slight hiccup towards the finishing line, Vondrousova managed to secure the impressive 7-6, 7-5 win in exactly two hours.
Entering an unfamiliar territory of a Grand Slam semifinal, will Vondrousova finally feel the moment or will she continue to impress the audience and grab her first Major title? After falling in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells, Miami, and Rome, it seemed like an even bigger run was awaiting Vondrousova. There you go, she is into her first Major semifinal now!
Match Analysis: Who will reach their first Grand Slam final?
Konta and Vondrousova split their two meetings evenly, but surprisingly it was Vondrousova who prevailed in their Indian Wells clash last year while the Brit stunned the Czech in the quarterfinals of Rome earlier this year.
Will experience matter in this clash? This is Vondrousova’s first Major semifinal of her career while Konta is into her third semifinal on a third different surface. However, the 26th seed was winless in her last two semifinals after being defeated by Kerber in Australia and Venus in London without being able to win a set.
Konta will find this stage familiar, though the atmosphere might not make it seem like as a Grand Slam semifinal as this match will be played on the third show court, Court Simone Matthieu.
Vondrousova has been ultra-impressive this entire tournament having not lost a set en route to the semifinals but Konta is playing some of her best tennis as well. If Konta continues to serve as well as she did against Stephens, the Brit will definitely have a legitimate chance of triumphing.
Konta will look to avoid the long rallies with Vondrousova, who can certainly trouble any opponents with her power and angles on any given day. With her confidence blooming throughout the entire clay-court season, it is difficult to see how the Brit will not take the early advantage of her opponent’s nerves and secure a place in her first-ever Grand Slam final.
This match will be a tough one, but if Vondrousova can hold her nerves and move well around the court, it is her match to lose. However, I think that Konta will be the more composed player on the court in this clash of titans.
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