Johanna Konta reaches French Open tennis semi-finals

Johanna KontaImage source, Getty Images

Tennis star Johanna Konta has become the first British woman in 36 years to reach the French Open semi-finals.

She beat American Sloane Stephens in straight-sets in Paris, France.

By reaching the last four, Konta has matched her best grand slam performances at the Australian Open in 2016 and Wimbledon the following year.

Konta is now the first British woman to make it this far since Jo Durie, who made it to the French Open semi-finals in 1983.

Image source, Getty Images

Before this French Open, which is played on clay, many wouldn't have expected Konta to go very far.

The clay surface is one that Konta normally finds difficult to play on - she had never got past the first round of the French Open before this year.

Now, Konta will have to beat either Croatian Petra Martic or Czech 19 year-old Marketa Vondrousova to make it to the final.

More amazing Facts About Johanna Konta
  • In the last five years, Johanna Konta has gone from 151st in the World to her highest ranking of 4th. She's currently placed 26th.

  • Johanna Konta is Britain's number one female tennis player, but did you know that Johanna was actually born in Sydney in Australia. She moved to the UK in 2005 and has been playing professionally for Great Britain since 2012.

  • Konta first started playing tennis when she was eight years old, and says her hero is Steffi Graf, a former German tennis player who won 22 Grand Slams.

  • Another of her heroes is pop singer Taylor Swift, who she once went to see in concert before competing at Wimbledon.