AFP, Beijing :
Johanna Konta became the first British woman in 32 years to break into the top 10, after she beat Madison Keys to reach the final of the China Open on Saturday.
Andy Murray is also through to the final in Beijing — his ninth final of the season — after downing Spaniard David Ferrer 6-2, 6-3.
The Scot will face Grigor Dimitrov, who got a free pass when Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic withdrew from their semi-final match with an ankle injury.
Konta put in a solid performance to advance to the biggest final of her career, beating eighth-ranked Keys 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 6-4.
After a tight first set, Keys’ serve let her down in the tiebreaker but she rallied in the second despite continued pressure from the Briton. Konta demanded seven set points from Keys for the second set and then stepped up her game in the third, keeping the American on the defensive to take her a step closer to her second season — and career — title.
“I don’t think she made a lot of unforced errors or gave me a lot of balls to be able to get on the offense,” Keys told reporters after the match.
Konta, 25, burst onto the scene at last year’s US Open where she reached the round of 16, claiming two top 20 scalps along the way.
