Qualifier Kristina Kucova ends Johanna Konta's bid to earn a place in WTA top 10

ByPA Sport

Updated 30/07/2016 at 08:30 GMT

Johanna Konta missed out on becoming the first British woman to break into the Women's Tennis Association's top 10 rankings for nearly 32 years on Friday night.

Johanna Konta lost her Rogers Cup quarter-final on Friday night

Image credit: PA Sport

The 25-year-old was in prime form going into her Rogers Cup quarter-final against Kristina 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.

WTA Stuttgart

'I can just swing and enjoy it' - Raducanu sets up Swiatek clash with win over Noskova

7 hours ago

However, her bid to become the first British woman in the WTA's top 10 since Jo Durie in August 1984 ended in disappointment and a nervy defeat to the Slovakian, who will now face Madison Keys for a place in the final.

The United States' Keys, the 10th seed, finished strongly after a poor second set against 16th-seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, winning 7-6 1-6 6-0.

Romania's Simona Halep lost the first four games of her quarter-final against ninth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova but bounced back strongly, winning 3-6 6-1 6-1.

Fifth seed Halep, the beaten finalist in this tournament last year, will face Angelique Kerber for a place in the final.

The second-seeded German beat 19-year-old Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-2 6-2 in a match which lasted a shade over an hour - the shortest of the four quarter-finals.