Britain’s Johanna Konta beat seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams to win her 1st WTA title in Stanford.
Konta, 25, won 7-5 5-7 6-2 in California to join Heather Watson as a British winner on the WTA Tour in 2016.
“It’s quite an incredibly humbling experience,” said the British number one. “It’s a validation of all the hard work you’ve already put in.”
Sue Barker was the only previous British winner in Stanford, beating Virginia Wade in the 1977 final.
Konta said: “I wanted to leave it all out there, but also absorb everything that I could possibly reinvest in my career moving forward.
“I’ve played her twice before and knew I’d be playing a magnitude of experience. Venus Williams doesn’t need an introduction.”
British number one Konta – ranked 147th last June – will rise from 18th to a career high 14th when the new world rankings are confirmed on Monday.
She reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January, and again at Eastbourne in June.
Watson became the first Briton for 24 years to win a WTA title in Osaka four years ago, and has since added victories in Hobart (2015) and Monterrey (2016).
Konta’s success comes at a higher level, however, with Stanford among the WTA’s ‘Premier’ tournaments and boasting former winners that include Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and Serena Williams.
