JonH wrote:

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Actually, this is probably why, Tennis Abstract rate her 2nd in the world currently behind Halep and top on hard courts, so obviously would have her as favourite for Miami

tennisabstract.com/reports/wta_elo_ratings.html

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Very interesting with as you say Ashley 2nd in these and Naomi Osaka just 5th. Quite a change round based largely on opponents beaten and lost to. I also see that Jo is up at #21.

As Jaggy was saying, going into Miami it was very tight in the rankings with the top 8 within 100 points of each other ( 5991 to 4995 ) but Ashley at WR 11 on 3395 was a fair bit back on points. So on the face if it it had looked strange that Ashley was so favoured by Tennis Abstract and bookies. 

At least now she will be a CH 9 post Miami, and if she wins the title close to the WR 8 Sloane Stephens, who drops last year's title points, though still some way behind the updated top 7 in the official rankings.

At the very top of the rankings, Halep will overtake Osaka if she reaches the final here. 

When Ace Ventura was giving his recent review of our players it struck me that the way Johanna Konta's career has gone/is going is similar to Jo Durie's. I'm talking about singles and not doubles. They both had a spell in the top echelons of the game  for about 2 years. Jo K. reached  no 4 and Jo D. no 5 in the world. Jo D. won 2 WTA tour singles titles  and Jo K.  3. They each reached 2 Grand Slam singles  semi finals.  The difference there being Jo K. did not look like winning either of hers whereas Jo Durie's loss in Paris in 1983 to Mima Jausovec was the most frustrating loss in any Grand  Slam match by a British woman from 1978 onwards. After Jo D. reached the quarter finals of Wimbledon in 1984 she followed it by a 1st round loss in that years US Open which is what happened to Jo K. following her 2017 Wimbledon semi final.  Once the slide starts that is it. 

In some sports we have a dynasty. Although it has a hard  physical event British women athletes  have a dynasty in the Heptathlon. In recent times it started with Denise Lewis, followed by Kelly Southerton, Jessica Ennis, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and youngsters like Niamh Emerson and Morgan Lake. Unfortunately Jo K. at the moment doesn't seem to have anybody to pass the tennis  racket  on to so to speak.

At least we are hitting towards the top 100 and beyond with relatively more young players than normal. More numbers gives more chance one or two really breaking through.

And while players of course are very different ( and strength and fitness are issues and not ones looking to be lacking in say Harriet) how many saw Jo, having first entered the top 100 in June 2014, past her 23rd birthday, rising as she then did and eventually to WR 4 in July 2017 at age 26. And not to be discounted herself from a significant rise again. Yet top 30 is seen as so unlikely for these relatively young players?  No one to take over from Jo when they are generally ahead of Jo's schedule to date? Certainly not saying any are going to ultimately rise to Jo's such unexpected heights but seemingly unworthy of taking over her racket? - things to me don't quite add up here with maybe rather too much premature judgement. 

As we stand, Harriet and Katie B are 22, turning 23 in late July and early August and Katie S has just turned 20.

If you add such as Katie B's year out her development in a way is even quicker ( although yes with the slight ongoing concerns re her health) and not too far back Baltacha and Keothavong had relatively late rises into the top 50 ( as with so many from other countries ). We are possibly still very much at the beginning of the real rises re one or two of the current players.

I can imagine one or two really pushing on to top 50 or 30 heights before Emma R, and hopefully she continues to progress well. Very possibly not too but they are on journeys that I would think have much unknown to unfold and I find it strange to so discount such possibilities at this stage for a group that seems again to me to be being rather harshly judged here and elsewhere recently ( while of course some truths and concerns ) and maybe making rather too much of a slower start to this year as against longer term progress.and still potential further progress. 

Time will tell but I certainly imagine some unexpected paths.

I only set off my comments because I could see similarities with the highs of the two Jo's. However players zooming up the rankings as Jo  K. did at the age of 24 are very rare in the womens game never mind  in Britain. Another recent  exception I think  was the Rumanian player Mihaela Buzarnescu who  made a big breakthrough last year at the age of 30. As was pointed out we don't know what the future  holds. I think Jo K. reached the highs that  at one stage looked  more likely   that Laura Robson would achieve. In fact in 2015 when Jo started to climb the rankings more attention was given to Laura's return. I might  as well  add with the Fed Cup coming up in 3 weeks I hope Jo  does better than she did in last match against Qiang Wang. Hopefully they will have Hawkeye and the full complement of officials.