British hearts swelled with pride at Melbourne Park yesterday as Andy Murray battled into the Australian Open semi-finals after compatriot Johanna Konta swept into the last four of the women’s tournament.

Murray won a typically attritional slog against Spaniard David Ferrer 6-3 6-7 6-2 6-3, while Konta eased past Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai 6-4 6-1 to become the first British woman in more than 30 years to reach a grand slam semi-final.

The pair gave Britain two players in a grand slam semi-finals for the first time since 1977 but they will need to muster more bulldog spirit to reach the final.

Murray, who booked his sixth semi-final in Melbourne, will face Milos Raonic with the Canadian 13th seed in the form of his life.

Raonic’s 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4 win over Frenchman Gael Monfils made him Canada’s first male semi-finalist at Melbourne Park.

Konta will face seventh seed Angelique Kerber, who stunned twice former champion Victoria Azarenka 6-3 7-5 in the opening match at Rod Laver Arena.

The fall-out from match-fixing allegations that rocked the tournament’s opening day continued to rumble, yesterday.

Officials launched an independent review into the Tennis Integrity Unit after accusations the watchdog had failed to adequately investigate suspicious matches in the past.

Former players angrily demanded proof of wrongdoing.

“There is no evidence. We are talking about algorithms and mathematics and some computer spits your name out like a serial killer and everyone is chasing you,” fumed former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic.

There was nothing suspect about the commitment of the combatants in the third singles match, however, as Ferrer and Murray engaged in a taxing three-hour and 20-minute dog-fight.

The weather turned thoroughly British as rain clouds gathered, and after a break in play, Murray ended the match under a closed roof.

“I like playing indoors,” Murray, who has lost four finals in Melbourne, said.

“I grew up in Scotland and the weather is not as good as here so I grew up playing most of my tennis indoors.”

Australians woke groggily a day after their national public holiday, and Sydney-born Konta reminded locals of what they had lost.

The 24-year-old closed out the first set after an epic game at 5-3 and ran away with the match to end Zhang’s own fairytale run as a 133rd-ranked qualifier.

Konta is the first British woman to reach a grand slam semi-final since Jo Durie at the 1983 US Open and just the third to reach the last four in Australia in the professional era after 1972 champion Virginia Wade and Sue Barker.

“I’m just so happy that I’m enjoying what I’m doing. That is me living my dream,” said Konta.

With Murray’s brother Jamie also reaching the last four of the men’s doubles with Brazilian Bruno Soares, Britain could have three finalists at the same tournament in Melbourne.

Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Raonic also enjoyed playing Monfils under a closed roof, having been raised on indoor tennis during the Toronto winters.

The clinical Canadian needed only two hours and 17 minutes to crush the Frenchman’s flair and set up the semi-final with Murray, an opponent with whom he shares a 3-3 head-to-head record.

“A great challenge ahead of me. A challenge I believe I have within myself to find a solution to,” the 25-year-old told reporters.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.