Fearless Jo Konta has game and mentality to beat Serena Williams and triumph in Melbourne

The presence of Serena Williams in the women’s draw always looms large in the minds of players, but for Jo Konta it is abundantly clear she is relishing the opportunity to go up against perhaps the greatest player of all time, on the biggest world stage, and to see if she really has the mettle to take a final step in her pursuit of a Grand Slam title. This is her moment, not her burden.

The British number one, who is seeded ninth at Melbourne Park, believes that she belongs in such company in the latter stages of Grand Slams and the confidence and assurance with which she speaks comes through clearly on court in her assertive, uncompromising and unswervingly confident play.

Konta may carry the weight of being the last remaining Brit in the singles events after Andy Murray and Dan Evans both lost on Sunday, but it is not possible to detect even the slightest doubt in her mind. Indeed, the 25-year-old was positively bursting with excitement when asked about her upcoming match with the six-time champion, someone she has always looked up to in her journey to the highest level of the game.

"That's going to be an incredible experience for me, she's one of the few players still playing that I watched growing up as a girl and when I was wanting to be a professional tennis player," she said after her victory over Ekaterina Makarova on Rod Laver Arena.

"It's an incredible honour and I can't wait to share a court with her. Once on court against anyone, everyone is out there to compete and hopefully walk off the winner but in terms of enjoying the opportunity against someone like Serena, I will cherish every single minute out there."

But don’t let anyone mistake her giddy excitement for even the slightest possibility of Konta coming into the match feeling overawed by her illustrious opponent. She is ready to battle and determined to assert herself in a match in which she has nothing to lose and everything to gain – just the way Serena is feeling too, as it happens.

"I think in general people our age aren't really playing at a top level, so indeed, it's definitely impressive,” Serena said of her and sister Venus after overcoming Barbora Strycova.

"I love this game and I honestly have nothing to lose. Everything is a bonus for me now."

Intriguingly, the Tennis Australia Game Insight Group, a team of elite data analytics and sport science experts, had Konta top of their 'Top 10 clutch players', ahead of Serena in second, at the start of the tournament. The pair shared the same clutch serve percentage of 65.8, with Konta edging the American out on return with 46.6 per cent over 46.3. The definition of 'clutch' might be open to debate but if nothing else, the stats at least hint at how mentally strong the Brit is, a quality she will need to rely on in their encounter.

When asked who has impressed her the most so far in Melbourne this year with neither player having yet lost a set, 1995 champion and now Eurosport analyst Mary Pierce had no hesitation.

The pair have never previously faced each other so Konta does not have the scars that years of defeats to the 22-time Grand Slam champion can bring. Her run in Melbourne last year, when she made it all the way to the semi-finals before being beaten by the eventual champion, world number one Angelique Kerber, has only seemed to serve as an enormous confidence boost driving her on to desire and demand more from herself.

As Eurosport expert Annabel Croft put it in the first week: "There is no sign of jitters or nerves. She is just unleashing this formula – and the formula is working. She is in a great place, trusting her build-up and her work on the practice court.

"There’s a real sense of urgency about the way she is playing her tennis, the movement, the hustle factor; she has got a very high footwork rate as well. She’s had a lot of male practice partners firing big serves at her and she has been nailing her returns – that’s what won her the title in Sydney.

As Greg Rusedski added, sounding a bit like a character out of a Zoolander movie, “she’s the hottest player on the Tour right now”.

Having made the semi-finals in Shenzhen, China in January and then securing a very fine title in Sydney, beating a host of big names, Konta really is in the form of her life and brimming with confidence. While even her most ardent fans would likely still back Serena to prevail, there is genuine hope of an upset.

Now presented with the most daunting test against the superstar she looked up to as a young player, she faces the ultimate challenge: is she really ready to take another enormous step forward in her blossoming career? If she can find a way to beat the legendary American, the title will be well within her sights.

It's time for the 'hottest player on the Tour' to seize her moment in the Melbourne sun.