Johanna Konta knocked out of Rogers Cup at quarter-final stage by Kristina Kucova
Saturday 30 July 2016 16:36, UK
Johanna Konta missed out on becoming the first British woman to break into the WTA top 10 for 32 years as she lost to Kristina Kucova in the Rogers Cup on Friday night.
The 25-year-old was in prime form going into her quarter-final against Kucova - but paid for too many unforced errors against the qualifier, going down 6-4 6-3.
Konta won her maiden WTA Tour title in Stanford last week and advanced to the last eight of this week's event in Montreal on the back of victories over Shelby Rogers, Vania King and Varvara Lepchenko.
However, her bid to become the first British woman in the WTA's top 10 since Jo Durie in August 1984 ended in a disappointing defeat.
Her Slovakian opponent settled the quickest and broke in the sixth game of the first set - although Konta hit back in the ninth.
The Sydney-born Briton saved three set points in the 10th game but Kucova regained her composure to take the set 6-4.
Konta was broken in the fourth game of the second set and her frustration was clear in the fifth game when she screamed in frustration after seeing a chance to break back disappear.
Despite using the drop shot to good effect, Konta was unable to find another break and Kucova took her second match point to wrap up victory in an hour and 31 minutes and set up a semi-final against the United States' Madison Keys.
