Johanna Konta, 26, was hoping to finally make her WTA Finals in Singapore debut after a rock-solid first part of the year. A first Premier Mandatory title in Miami and then a Wimbledon semifinal appearance seemed to have put her on the right track. But, once the action returned to outdoor hard, Konta's tennis output decreased substantially. Entering the Asian hardcourt swing, she was still in a safe spot and, as most of the people, unaware of how things will turn eventually with Caroline Garcia winning back-to-back titles in Wuhan and Beijing. Thus the Frenchwoman soared up the ranking to clinch the eighth and last available slot for Singapore.
Konta was set to play at Kremlin Cup in Moscow (Premier event), but she had to withdraw due to a foot-related injury.
Johanna Konta and a horrible losing streak
Reaching the last four stages of the 2017 Wimbledon Championships stands as the highest point of her performance loop in 2017. After that, she went on a downward spiral. The true face of the disastrous zone she was in revealed itself, especially during the Asian swing. She lost in the opening session in Tokyo, Wuhan, and Beijing. The summer swing had had no luster either with Konta losing her opening match in Toronto. Cincinnati brought her the only two wins of the summer while the US Open saw her stepping off the stage in the round of 128.
Some may argue that justice has bee done and Caroline Garcia deserves the spot in Singapore. Her late surge came as a surprise, but Konta still deserves credits for a solid first half of the season. If her foot recovers just in time, she will be leading the pack at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, a second tier WTA Finals contest that made its debut last year.
Konta narrowly missed the spot as she did in 2016
Back in 2016, and in-form Konta was about to make her debut at the WTA Finals in Singapore. She even made her official appearance there while in Europe, Svetlana Kuznetsova entered the Kremlin CUp knowing that a potential title there would have provided her with a last-minute ticket to Singapore.
The former world No. 2 and two-time Grand Slam champion went on winning the Premier event to strip Konta out of her long-craved spot. Fast forward, twelve months later the story has had a similar ending script with Caroline Garcia as the one who killed off the No. 1 Brit's hopes.
Currently ranked 10th in the world, Johanna Konta may finish the year as a top 10 presence if she makes a solid run at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai.
