A year ago, Johanna Konta was not even ranked in the top 125.
Four years after her first appearance on the WTA Tour, she was still labouring through the ITF circuit, playing in minor tournaments.
A year ago, in the fourth week of July, the Australian-born Brit was stationed in the nondescript Canadian town of Granby, playing a C$50,000 (Dh139,116) ITF tournament.
She won that tournament, but who would have thought Konta would rise to No14 in the rankings over the ensuing 12 months and defeat Venus Williams, a former world No 1, in her first WTA Tour final.
Konta’s rise is sort of a fairy tale, a success story that almost beggars belief, for she was hardly the child prodigy destined to rise through the ranks. But as she said following her Stanford triumph, her first title was a “validation of all the hard work you’ve already put in and a motivator on the things you want to keep improving on”.
• WTA: Johanna Konta overcomes Venus Williams in Stanford for first title
Konta has been trying to do just that and the presence of a mind coach has certainly helped. For although she always had the game, her nerves kept letting her down at the important moments.
The tide really turned at last year’s US Open when, as a qualifier ranked No 97 in the world, Konta stunned the then world No 9 Garbine Muguruza in the second round and then took the fight to No 4 Petra Kvitova in a fourth-round defeat.
Those two matches undoubtedly gave her confidence a boost, but there was no indication of a turnaround as Konta lost in the opening round of her first two tournaments of 2016. And, to make matters worse, she found herself facing Williams in the opening round of the Australian Open.
Konta had never beaten a top-10 player before, but she managed to stun Williams 6-4, 6-2, and the momentum of that win carried her into the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where she lost to eventual champion Angelique Kerber.
The first British woman to reach the last four of a grand slam in 33 years, Konta has continued her rise since and Stanford could be the first of many titles.
And do not be surprised if, before the end of this season, Konta, 25, becomes the first British woman to break into the top 10 since Jo Durie did in 1984.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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More on Quran memorisation:
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
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