More woe for Jo
Konta fails to reach semis in New York MIKE DICKSON
This time there were no recriminations or unnecessary spats with the media, just the numbing disappointment of another missed opportunity.
At the third time of asking this summer, Jo Konta lost in straight sets when nearing Grand slam glory, but this Us Open was not like the fraught endings of the French Open or Wimbledon.
having made it through to the heart of the second week, she lost last night’s quarter-final 6-4, 6-4 to Elina svitolina, failing to dismantle the formidable defences of the world No 5.
Unlike in her previous two majors, this was a match she could approach as second favourite but the outcome was much the same.
The result means that she missed out on becoming the first British woman in the post-1968 open era since Ann Jones to make it a full house of Grand slam semi-finals.
There are consolations in that Konta departed with £416,000 in prize money and a new celebrity fan in Tom hiddleston, who again swapped Broadway for Flushing Meadows to offer his support from her box.
Going so deep in the biggest events also looked a highly unlikely proposition when Konta began a summer that she concludes with her ranking back on the cusp of the world’s top ten.
But as the season heads into its final two months, mostly winding its way around Asia, she will have to figure out how she can translate her consistency at the leading tournaments into appearances in the finals.
it could be that the British No 1 is already maximising her potential, although the way she edged out world No 3 Karolina Pliskova in the last round suggests there could be more to come.
Beating svitolina was going to be a question of whether she could break down a highly mobile baseliner who gets the ball back with metronomic efficiency.
Konta tried everything, including some well-executed dropshots to try to drag her opponent from her baseline habitat. it showed more presence of mind than she might have possessed two years ago but, in the end, she could not sufficiently disrupt her opponent’s rhythm.
it did not help that the Ukrainian served with more potency than she usually does.
That ability managed to protect the lead she first forged in the fifth game of the first set — and when Konta came back at her, again from behind, in the later stages.
svitolina made only 13 unforced errors to 35 by Konta, who struck 24 winners — not enough to compensate for that deficit.
it was still a more purposeful performance than when she blew the advantage against Marketa Vondrousova in the Paris semifinal, and became bamboozled by Barbora strycova at Wimbledon.
What you do know is that Konta, 28, will keep persevering. Thank heavens for that at a tournament where Great Britain cannot muster a representative in the girls’ junior event.
Konta now plans to reciprocate with hiddleston by going to watch his play Betrayal, and was sanguine after her defeat.
‘i’ve played her five times now and never beaten her and i feel that was the best she has played against me,’ said Konta. ‘i didn’t play badly at all, i was doing the right things. i don’t have any regrets. All defeats are different but at Wimbledon i didn’t feel i played as well as i wanted to.’
she believes she can still reach a final one day, adding: ‘This year is the best i have ever done in the slams. i keep giving myself opportunities and it’s nice to feel that i can still get better.’
svitolina will face either serena Williams or Qiang Wang, while on the other side of the draw there is guaranteed to be a first-time Grand slam finalist in the women’s event.
The most likely to emerge is Bianca Andreescu. Despite having persistent shoulder problems that kept her out of Wimbledon, the 19-year-old from Toronto has had a superb year and won the significant WTA events in her hometown and at indian Wells in California.
she now faces Belgian outsider Elise Mertens in the quarter-finals, with the winner meeting either Croatia’s Donna Vekic or switzerland’s Belinda Bencic.
having broken down Taylor Townsend’s serve-and-volley game, Andreescu looks ready for anything and may end up being the teenager everyone is talking about, rather than Coco Gauff.
in the first of the men’s quarterfinals, No5 seed Daniil Medvedev triumphed over stan Wawrinka 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.