MELBOURNE, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Eighth seed Venus Williams has provided Australian Open fans with the shock of the tournament so far after she was shocked on Tuesday by world No. 47, rising British star Johanna Konta, who was making her Australian Open debut.
Williams, 35, was enjoying a renaissance of form late last year, but was no match for Konta, who raced to a 6-4, 6-2 victory in 79 minutes on Rod Laver Arena for one of the biggest wins of her career.
Sydney-born Konta, 24, who only became a British citizen in 2012, admitted her lead-up form wasn't the best, despite playing at two tournaments before Melbourne.
"I played two previous tournaments and didn't have the right results but I have strong belief in the way I want to play. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Today I won," she told the crowd after her win.
"It was hot out there and I was playing an incredibly good player, but I felt I was playing at a good level," she said.
Konta could face China's No. 1 ranked player Zheng Saisai in the second round; Zheng faces German Carina Witthoelt later on Tuesday.