LONDON, Great Britain - Johanna Konta's Wimbledon victory over Simona Halep set a new British television record for the women's tournament, with a peak of 7.4 million viewers watching the BBC's coverage. 

"The Johanna Konta vs Simona Halep quarterfinal at 7.4m viewers became the most watched Wimbledon ladies’ match on BBC record," said a spokesperson for the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

American television coverage also displayed an increase for Konta's landmark victory, with ESPN experiencing a spike for its Centre Court coverage on women's quarterfinals day - a 17% year-on-year increase.

The women's final, in which Garbiñe Muguruza overcame Venus Williams, attracted a peak of 4.7m on ESPN, a marginal drop from the 4.8m who watched Serena Williams win the 2016 showpiece.

Konta became Britain's first female singles semifinalist at the event in almost four decades and rose to a career-high world ranking of fourth. All her matches at Wimbledon were broadcast live on the BBC's free-to-air channels.

Konta upset the formbook to recover from a set down and beat second seed Halep in the last-eight meeting. Her run came to an end in the semifinals, where Venus Williams rolled back the years to reach the final in straight sets.

"It's a massive compliment and brilliant for tennis," Konta said this week of the record figures. "It's great that so many people got invested and involved in my match, living the moment with me. I feel incredibly humbled and grateful for the support. I definitely felt the love."