Australian Open 2016: Johanna Konta will stick to game plan amid growing expectations

Konta’s third-round meeting with the Czech Republic’s Denisa Allertova will be an opportunity to assess how far she has come since last summer

Johanna Konta signs autographs after her secondround victory over Zheng Saisai (Reuters)

Johanna Konta is through to the third round of the Australian Open on her first appearance in the main draw here and is poised to break into the world’s top 40 for the first time, but the 24-year-old Briton is keeping her feet on the ground.

“I’m just very happy I get to come out tomorrow and play a doubles match,” Konta said in the wake of her emphatic 6-2, 6-3 victory over China’s Zheng Saisai.

“In terms of expectation I’m taking it one day at a time. Like I’ve always said, I don’t judge myself on my rankings. It’s very much a process, a daily routine that I live. I think it’s always nice to have people pulling for you, but if you were to take other people’s expectations on to your shoulders that would be a very tough day.”

Konta’s third-round meeting on Saturday with the Czech Republic’s Denisa Allertova, who beat Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, will be an opportunity to assess how far she has come since last summer. Eight months ago Konta lost to 22-year-old Allertova in the first round of the French Open.

Both players have improved since then – Konta, now the world No 47, was ranked No 143 at Roland Garros while Allertova has since climbed 22 places to her current position at No 66 – but the Briton’s progress has been the more spectacular.

“I don’t think you could quantify it,” Konta said when asked to assess her improvement. “All I can say is that I have definitely gained more experience because of the situations I have been in since. But she is better as well, probably. I’m a big believer in new match, new day.”

Asked whether she intended to play her own game or adapt to that of her opponent, a right-handed baseliner, Konta said: “I think there’s always a bit of both. I think you always go out there with a clear intention of staying true to your identity, how you want to play out there. But then you do pay attention to the kind of player you are playing and if there’s anything specific you’d like to bring to that match.”

Her victory provided further evidence of Konta’s popularity with the public here. The fact that she was born in Sydney and spent the first 13 years of her life Down Under has been well publicised and she received loud support out on Court Eight.

Is the British No 1 getting recognised in the street here? “There is no rock-star status, that’s for sure,” Konta smiled. “But I feel very lucky to have so many people out there supporting. There’s usually a big British contingent.”

Konta was due to play doubles on Friday with Heather Watson against another British pair, Jocelyn Rae and Anna Smith, meaning that all four members of the country’s Fed Cup squad would be on court at the same time.

“Obviously, it’s great preparation for Fed Cup,” Konta said of her partnership with Watson. “It’s also an Olympic year so we’re very ambitious and, hopefully, we’d like to be able to put that in our schedule as well, though that remains to be seen. Otherwise we pair up quite well together and we enjoy playing together.”