Johanna Konta won the first WTA title of her career, and the biggest by any British woman in 30 years after defeating Venus Williams in a nerve-shredding three-set final in Stanford.

Konta, who a year ago was ranked outside the World’s Top 100 and playing ITF tournaments, is now World No.14 and currently ninth in the race to the WTA finals in Singapore. According to The Tennis Podcast team, who convened after the final to discuss her rise, she is increasingly looking like a Top Ten player.

Following her 6-4, 6-2 win over Dominika Cibulkova in the semifinal, Konta raced to a 7-5, 4-1, double-break lead over Williams, and looked to be cruising to the title. But she wobbled with the finish line in sight, and Williams roared back to take the set 7-5 and force a decider.

After regrouping at the end of set 2, Konta won the third 6-2 to become the first British woman since Sue Barker in 1977 to win the title.

Podcast presenters David Law (BBC 5 Live) and Catherine Whitaker...

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