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Venus ends qualifier Konta's run to reach Wuhan Open semis

Xinhua, October 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Down 5-3 in the final set to Johanna Konta, former world No. 1 Venus Williams won the last four games to reach the semifinals of Wuhan Open.

Unseeded at the tournament, former No. 1 Williams fended off a thrilling challenge from the on-fire Konta, sealing a last four place with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win.

Konta was no ordinary qualifier. Since Wimbledon, the Brit had won 21 of her last 22 matches coming into Thursday's quarterfinal, having just recovered from 1-5 in the final set to upset top seed Simona Halep 24 hours earlier.

Williams has had a stellar week of her own in Wuhan, winning her 700th career match to reach her sixth quarterfinal of 2015, and looked the fresher of the two in taking the opening set.

Konta, however, would not go down without a fight, and showed what has become her signature grit to force the match into a decider and twice lead by a break in the final set.

The qualifier served for the match at 5-3, but the elder of the Williams sisters stepped up to sweep the contest from there, serving out a dramatic final game that saw Konta save a match point behind an audacious backhand volley.

"I can't believe I'm standing here as the winner," Williams confessed during her on-court interview. "Johanna played so well; she's had a wonderful summer and beat so many players this tournament. It seemed like I was finished but I felt the energy of the crowd behind me. I felt so good!"

Each player broke serve six times, and played some of their best points at net - Konta winning 14 of 16 while Williams won 16 of 22. Though Konta finished the match with more winners, it was the five-time Wimbledon champion who managed to play cleaner tennis when it counted, hitting seven fewer errors to put herself just two matches from a 47th career WTA title.

"This is where I want to be: at the end of the tournament and playing a match for the finals," said Williams.

Up next for the American is US Open finalist and No. 15 seed Roberta Vinci; the former doubles No. 1 edged past WTA rising star and No. 8 seed Karolina Pliskova in two tight sets 7-6 (2), 6-3.

Williams has never dropped a set to the Italian veteran in three matches, but the two haven't played since 2012, and Vinci is arguably playing the best tennis of her career as she gets closer to her career-high singles ranking of No. 11. Endi