MELBOURNE, Australia — In keeping with the way this Australian Open has been going, Andy Murray was asked following a quarterfinal win on Wednesday about the state of his game — and then, invariably, about the integrity of his sport.
Murray and a much lesser-known British player, Johanna Konta, advanced to the semifinals on Wednesday. Murray beat David Ferrer, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam for the 18th time. Konta, 24, had a 6-4, 6-1 win over qualifier Zhang Shuai.
It’s the first time since the Australian Open in December 1977 that that two British players, John Lloyd and Sue Barker, have advanced to the final four of any major.
Konta is playing in her first Australian Open main draw after losing in qualifying rounds the last three years. She had a first-round win over No. 8 Venus Williams and beat No. 21 Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets in the fourth round.
She has won fans at Melbourne Park with her athleticism and mental composure on the court and good humor and a polite humility in interviews after winning. Born in Australia but living in Britain since her early teens, Konta also has Hungarian citizenship and calls herself a “tri-citizen.”
Asked about her parents’ reaction back home in Britain, Konta, the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since Jo Durie at the 1983 U.S. Open, apologized for making them stay up so late.
“I’m pretty sure they have jet lag because of the time difference. They’ve been staying up all ridiculous times of the morning,” Konta said.
Murray is impressed.
“She’s done incredible,” he said. “Another very comfortable and solid win today. Not easy either. She created that chance by beating the seeds, and she deserves to be where she is.”
Konta will play Angelique Kerber, who beat two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, 6-3, 7-5, in a semifinal on Thursday. That match would follow the meeting between top-ranked Serena Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska.
The No. 2-ranked Murray, who has lost four finals at Melbourne Park, will meet Milos Raonic in the semifinals on Friday. Raonic beat Gael Monfils, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, in a night match, continuing his strong form that saw him beat Roger Federer in the Brisbane International final and French Open champion Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round.
Federer and defending champion Novak Djokovic contest the other semifinal on Thursday.
Since it began last week, the Australian Open has been overshadowed by media reports alleging tennis authorities had failed to thoroughly investigate match-fixing. Murray was asked about developments to the match-fixing claims, as have many players in the last 10 days.
“Yeah, that’s positive,” Murray said of an impending independent review. “Surely. I think in these situations I think people become skeptical when it’s sort of kept in-house, so getting someone independent to look into it is positive for sure.”
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