Johanna Konta insists she feels no pressure from the weight of history after becoming the first British woman to make a Grand Slam final in 33 years at the Australian Open.
Konta booked her final four clash against number seven seed Angelique Kerber with a commanding 6-4, 6-1 victory over China’s Zhang Shuai, who had lost her previous 14 Grand Slam matches before this run to the second week in Melbourne.
The British number one - brimming with confidence after attention-grabbing wins against Venus Williams and Ekaterina Makarova in recent days - secured a couple of early breaks and then spurned five set points before taking the opener.
But Zhang’s resistance evaporated during a one-sided second set closed out in just 35 minutes, thanks to a somewhat fortuitous net cord.
“I felt I did quite a good job of removing any sort of occasion from the match,” said Konta, the first British semi-finalist in a Grand Slam since Jo Durie in 1983.
“I really just took it as tennis match and I was competing against a really good opponent.
“The UK is thousands of miles away and a completely different time zone, which in this case it might be quite nice.
“I think whatever pressure or whatever buzz there is, it only affects me as much as I let it."
Konta, 24, will move into the world’s top 30 after her performances here but, in truth, was expected to beat Zhang, a player ranked 133rd in the world.
However, it will be very different against the highly-rated Kerber, who beat two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, her first win in seven attempts against a player many thought was a favourite in Melbourne.
“It’s just about going into every match and being very clear on what I want to achieve out there and being very process orientated and sticking to my beliefs,” added Konta.
“Whether you're the favourite or the underdog, I think that's very much a circumstantial thing outside of the match that I'm playing. I don't really think about that, it’s neither here nor there for me.
“I’m just so happy that I'm enjoying what I'm doing - this is me living my dream. When I was a little girl I dreamt of winning Grand Slams and being number one in the world. That dream stays the same.”
Sportsbeat 2016