Wimbledon 2017: Johanna Konta eyes 'very special' semi-final against Venus Williams

Johanna Konta said the prospect of playing in a Wimbledon semi-final was “pretty, pretty special” after her victory over Simona Halep saw her become the first British woman to reach the last four here for 39 years.

“I think the level of tennis that both of us played today, it was just a tremendous match,” Konta said after beating Halep, who would have become world No 1 if she had won. “I think I've been very fortunate at these Championships just to be a part of a match like that again.”

Konta added: “To be in the semi-finals of my home Slam, and to do that in front of a full Centre Court, it's pretty, pretty special.”

The Briton said she felt “very excited and very humbled” by the support she had enjoyed. “When you get a massive crowd of people cheering, making that sort of noise in a stadium, you do get goosebumps,” she said.

Halep thought it had been a case of Konta winning the match rather than her losing it. “That’s a massive compliment from her,” Konta said. “Against someone like Simona, you do have to win it. She gives you so little, so few chances.

“I feel very happy with how I was able to maintain my level throughout the whole match. I just tried to stick very closely to how I felt I wanted to play out there and kind of did that through thick and thin.”

Halep thought it was perhaps the best she has ever played on a grass court. She was also pleased that she had performed so well given her disappointment at letting slip a lead in last month’s French Open final.

“I thought my level was pretty high, hitting the balls, the serves, how I served, and also the movement,” she said. “Maybe I should have stayed a little bit closer to the line, but she was hitting pretty strong. I think it was a great match. I take the positives.”

She added: “Maybe I can take from here a positive that all the players that are beating me are playing maybe the best tennis, though that doesn't make me happier.”

Halep thought Konta deserved to win. “I think it was great tennis,” the Romanian said. “Both of us played a good level. I was very close, again. In the tie-break maybe I could have served a little bit better and stronger. Then in the third set, after I lost my serve it was tough to still believe that I could break her because she was serving pretty well.”

However, Halep said she was unhappy about the length of the toilet break Konta took before the deciding set, which John McEnroe had described on the BBC as “completely outrageous”. Halep said: “I don't believe that it took only four minutes, but she does that all the time. I cannot change because there is no rule.”

Konta was excited at the prospect of taking on Venus Williams in the semi-finals. “What Venus and her sister have given our sport is absolutely tremendous,” she said. “The way they've elevated women's tennis is truly inspiring, so I feel very excited and very humbled to be sharing the court with her again. We've had a few battles in the past. She got the better of me the last time we played, so I'm really looking forward to playing her.”

Halep thinks Konta has a very good chance of making the final. “I think she can win [against Williams],” Halep said. “She's a very strong player. She's playing well. She has the crowd, as well. I think she's able to win.”