Konta tops Venus for first singles crown

As Britain's Johanna Konta pounded the ball and rarely missed on Sunday, there were moments Venus Williams could do little more than applaud her opponent's stellar day as winners whipped down the line and drop shots fell perfectly.

With a crowd of 2,268 largely rooting for American icon Williams, Konta regularly reminded herself to breathe to keep her mind on the match and not her daunting task.

The hard-hitting Konta outslugged top-seeded Williams to capture her first career singles title while playing for her first championship, winning the Bank of the West Classic 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.