Konta Misses Out On First Clay Court Title
It seemed as though the Johanna Konta of 2 years ago was returning this week, as the British number one made the final of the Morocco Open and went a set and a break up on Greece’s Maria Sakkari. It seemed as though things were starting to come together for the former world number four, but Sakkari found an extra gear and fought back, triumphing 2-6 6-4 6-1.
Despite this loss, Konta managed to string together some much needed match wins this week and will rise 5 places in the world rankings as a result. Konta’s form has been incredibly poor since her run to the 2017 Wimbledon semi-finals and she has gone from what looked like a nailed on Grand Slam winner to a fairly average top 50 player. But reaching a WTA final will have done Konta the world of good, and she can look on to Madrid and Roland Garros with a feeling of positivity.
Konta had very little time to rest after Saturday’s final, and had to play Alison Riske in Madrid the very next day. Astonishingly, Konta managed to win in straight sets and will play Romania’s Simona Halep in Round 2. Meanwhile, Kyle Edmund faces Monte Carlo Masters champion Fabio Fognini.
Written by Emre Saridogan