Chris Evert serves up the ultimate compliment to Johanna Konta after latest win

French Open
Johanna Konta celebrates at the French Open PA

Tennis legend Chris Evert offered Johanna Konta the ultimate compliment after her sensational French Open quarter-final win against Sloane Stephens, after suggesting the Brit’s display on Philippe Chatrier Court was ‘one of the best I’ve ever seen on a clay court’.

Konta’s remarkable 6-1, 6-4 win secured her place in the French Open semi-finals for the first time, as she became the first British woman since Jo Durie in 1983 to reach the last four at Roland Garros.

Eurosport tennis expert and 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert was left “speechless” following Johanna Konta’s quarter-final victory at Roland-Garros today:

“First of all, I am speechless and not many matches make me speechless,” she stated. “The way Konta played that match, not giving Sloane a chance, thinking maybe she could come back.

“Jo Konta, I take my hat off to you, I have never seen her play that kind of tennis, she would’ve beaten anybody the way she played today.”

“One point dropped on serve in that second set, not even Serena did that. The thing I am most impressed with is the mentality, the mental toughness, there was always this stigma around Konta, get her in an annoying situation and it’s hard for her to close matches out, but she wasn’t like that today.”

“I think Sloane could’ve been a little more aggressive early in the match, try and control the match a little bit more, but Jo didn’t let her play her game today. It wasn’t because Sloane didn’t play her best, it was because Jo played so brilliant.”

“Jo probably can’t play like that again, but she needs to understand that she can still win games despite not being that good again. She can’t be too hard on herself.”

Eurosport tennis expert Annabel Croft also lavished praise on Konta, as she suggested the Brit had played a perfect match.

“It was utterly faultless tennis from Johanna,” stated Croft.

“That first game was a little bit of a tussle early on, but once she got out of the blocks it was relentless pressure, all out aggression, hitting the lines, hitting the corners, serving with precision.

“Konta looks like she is in a different mindset at the moment, she’s gone into a bubble and now it’s in this golden patch, and for her, she’s just got to try and keep everything going, that’s the hardest thing. When you have played that well, you are kind of going up a mountain, hitting the peak of where Jo can play at and she needs to try and maintain that somehow.”

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