AFP, Melbourne :
Rising star Johanna Konta eased past Denisa Allertova 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday to become the first British woman to reach the Australian Open fourth round in 29 years.
The 24-year-old, who stunned eighth seed Venus Williams in the first round, also equalled her best Grand Slam performance set at the US Open in September.
“She’s an incredibly tough opponent,” Konta said of the 66th-ranked Czech. “I knew I had to run down every ball and fight every point, so I managed to do that but it wasn’t easy.”
Konta, who equals Jo Durie’s performance at the 1987 Australian Open, will now play Russian 21st seed Ekaterina Makarova for a place in the quarter-finals.
“I’m feeling pretty good-it’s amazing what adrenalin does,” said Konta, the world number 47.
