Johanna Konta bids to reach second Australian Open semi-final in maiden clash with Serena Williams

Johanna Konta takes on Serena Williams in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday 25 January.

Where to watch live

The exact time will not be confirmed until Tuesday. In the United Kingdom, live coverage of the entire tournament can be viewed on Eurosport and the Eurosport player. Radio commentary is available on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, with television highlights broadcast daily on BBC Two.

Overview

"Interestingly, I was thinking that I would love the opportunity to be on court with her before she retired," Konta said of Williams following her 6-1, 6-4 victory over Ekaterina Makarova at Margaret Court Arena that secured a very first competitive meeting against the all-time great. Now she gets her wish.

For Sydney-born Konta, now flying the Union Jack alone having seen Andy Murray suffer a shock exit to Mischa Zverev and Dan Evans' superb momentum halted by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, such a clash represents the chance to reach the last-four in Melbourne for the second time in consecutive years. Twelve months ago, the 25-year-old beat Serena's elder sister Venus en route to becoming the first British female singles player to reach a Grand Slam semi-final for 33 years. While she was ultimately ousted in straight sets by eventual winner Angelique Kerber, such an impressive run only served to further highlight her phenomenally swift progress.

Olympic quarter-finalist Konta replicated the achievements of Jo Durie last autumn after breaking into the WTA's top-10 by reaching the China Open final and her early-season form this year involved a semi-final appearance in Shenzhen and a second tour title in Sydney. Having returned to a career-high ranking of ninth, she was made to work hard in the first round by Kirsten Flipkens and eased past Naomi Osaka before brushing aside former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in impressive fashion and sealing a ninth straight win over Makarova. Konta has yet to drop a single set throughout the tournament thus far.

Williams, meanwhile, is searching for a seventh Australian Open crown and an Open era record 23rd Grand Slam singles title that would see her move clear of Steffi Graf. Tennis pundits have cast doubt on her fitness following a shock ASB Classic loss to Madison Brengle in what was only her second competitive match since a 2016 US Open semi-final defeat to Karolina Pliskova ended her reign as number one. However, the American, who had been plagued by back and shoulder problems, signalled her intent by easily disposing of former top-10 ranked Belinda Bencic before eliminating Lucie Safarova, compatriot Nicole Gibbs and Barbora Strycova with minimal fuss.

What the players have said:

Johanna Konta: "I don't think Serena Williams needs an introduction with everything that she's achieved in this sport and continues to do so. I'm really looking forward to the challenge, and I'm looking forward to being on court, out on court with her and competing against her.

"I guess I need to be on court with her against her first, to see how I deal with things and how I feel playing her [to see if it is possible to separate the player from the icon]. I have been fortunate enough that I have played her sister a few times, and I think she's just as incredible in what she's achieved in the sport. I mean, it's, again, no introduction needed.

"I have played, over the last year and a half, quite a few Grand Slam champions and some former world No. 1s. So I have accumulated, I think - I have prepared myself as much as possible to play a competitor like Serena. So I'm just - yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to trying, more than anything. I'm looking forward to just leave it all out there and give it my best."

Serena Williams: "I have watched her game a lot. She's been doing really, really well. I have absolutely nothing to lose in this tournament. Everything here is a bonus for me. Obviously I'm here to win. Hopefully I can play better, I can only go better."

Odds (via Betfair)

Johanna Konta 6/4

Serena Williams 8/15

Head-to-head record

This is the first meeting between the two players.