In 2017, Johanna Konta reached her first Miami Open Women’s Singles final after defeating multiple Grand Slam champions.
Konta, seeded 10th at the event, defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Pauline Parmentier, Lara Arruabarrena, Simona Halep and Venus Williams on her way to the final in Florida.
There, she would face Caroline Wozniacki: the 12th seed and future Australian Open champion.
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Konta, who achieved a career-high ranking of world number four during her career, defeated Wozniacki in straight sets to secure the title.
Johanna Konta is the only British player to have won the Miami Open Women’s Singles title
Konta defeated Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3, making history for her country.
After the final, Konta told reporters: “I think going into any match, but also against someone like Caroline who’s such as athlete and can really stay out there as long as she needs to, it was really important for me to straightaway assert myself in the manner I wanted to play just so I had it clear in my head and give myself the best chance of executing what I wanted to tactically.
“Actually, not much was going through my head [after the match],” she admitted.
“I think I was just sitting and staring off into space a little bit. So much also happens straight after that it’s a bit of a whirlwind. Yeah, there wasn’t much going through there [laughter].”
She later added: “I think quite honestly there wasn’t any key moment in that match. Until the end that wasn’t too much in it.
“I think, yeah, I mean, I tried to not wish time away and to really stay out there as long as possible and really enjoy competing. I think even when it was finished I was expecting more points to come.”
The 2017 Miami Open would end up being Konta’s only WTA 1000 triumph of her career.
Johanna Konta’s 2017 Miami Open run…
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| Round of 128 | Bye | – |
| Round of 64 | Aliaksandra Sasnovich | 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 |
| Round of 32 | Pauline Parmentier | 6-4, 6-0 |
| Round of 16 | Lara Arruabarrena | 7-5, 6-1 |
| Quarter-finals | Simona Halep | 3–6, 7–6, 6–2 |
| Semi-finals | Venus Williams | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Final | Caroline Wozniacki | 6–4, 6–3 |
She reached two more WTA 1000 finals – in China and Italy – but lost to Agnieszka Radwańska and Karolina Pliskova, respectively.
The former British number one retired from her playing career in December 2021 after reaching three Grand Slam semi-finals and four WTA Tour titles.
Johanna Konta’s retirement message
Johanna Konta played her last WTA event at the Cincinnati Open, where she lost in the first round to Karolina Muchova.
The British star had been due to play at the 2021 US Open, but withdrew before the event.
In December, she announced her retirement.
“There’s a lot of highs, a lot of lows, a lot of different emotions that come with being an elite sports person,” Konta said, as per The Guardian. “So for me, it was just important to give myself the space and the time to let emotions settle, let feelings settle. And I felt like I would just know when I was ready.”
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“I would love to still play on the biggest stages in the world and play at my best so it’s not at all that I don’t want to do that,” she said. “It’s just that … I don’t have the energy any more. It’s quite a nice place to leave it. I finished playing the sport, still loving the sport. I don’t think there is much more that I can ask of myself.”
“It was not straightforward, it was not simple, it was not written in the stars,” she said. “It was earned and it was hard fought for. I feel very, very proud of myself and for the people around me who were with me on this journey.”
“I’m probably the poster child of somebody who carved out a career for them when all evidence pointed that it was not going to happen,” she said. “I think if I can give any hope, motivation or inspiration to anyone who ever felt they were too old or not talented enough or overlooked, anything along those lines, I think I would feel very happy with that.”
