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Tag Ashleigh Barty

Sport

Barty outplays Keys to reach French Open semi-finals

Tennis
Paris, June 6, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Australian eighth seed Ashleigh Barty reached her first Grand Slam semi-final as she outplayed error-prone American Madison Keys 6-3 7-5 at the French Open on Thursday.

In a quarter-final clash postponed from Wednesday because of heavy rain, Barty produced an intelligent display full of guile in the Court Suzanne Lenglen sunshine.

Barty’s greater variety proved too much for 2018 semi-finalist Keys whose power game broke down at the vital moments.

The only blemish came when she failed to serve out the match in the second set but she recovered her poise to complete victory.

It helped her set up a semi-final against American teenager Amanda Anisimova, who beat reigning champion Simona Halep.

“It was a really clean match,” Barty, who returned to the sport three years ago after stopping to play cricket, told reporters. “I felt I was in control.

“I got the balls I wanted, and I was able to put the balls in difficult positions for Maddie. Really, really happy with how we went about it.”

While 14th seed Keys, bidding to reach her fifth Grand Slam semi-final, usually overpowers opponents with her potent serve and flat groundstrokes, Barty prefers something else.

The Australian uses her range of slice, topspin and clever placement to outfox her rivals.

She seized control of the match in the seventh game when Keys struck a backhand wide at 30-30.

Then the American failed to punish a short ball and Barty, who had stood her ground in the left corner, smashed a stunning backhand winner to break.

Keys was looking flustered and short of ideas but she produced a venomous forehand winner to hold for 2-2 in the second set.

That was after Barty had earned a break point with a loopy, angled forehand that dragged Keys way out of court.

Barty’s sliced backhand is one of the best on the women’s tour and she used it to cutting effect to drag Keys into areas of the court she did not want to be.

Keys lost patience at 3-3 and blazed a forehand long, then a backhand to offer up the break of serve.

Barty had not even faced a break point on her own serve but, with victory in sight at 5-4, she finally let the nerves show with a double-fault.

She then made a forehand error to gift Keys a lifeline that had looked unlikely.

Keys could hardly believe that she had been handed a lifeline.

But she failed to grab it and dropped serve immediately with a double fault to allow Barty to serve for the match again.

This time the Australian reeled off four straight points to reach the semi-finals.

She is the highest-ranked player left, but Barty knows there is still a long way to go before Saturday’s final.

First she must do her homework for a semi-final against Anisimova, whom she has seen in action for all of 20 minutes.

“I’ll sit down with my coach tonight and try and work out a game plan, try and work out ways that I can be effective against her,” the 23-year-old Queenslander said.

“It’s a new situation for me. It’s a little bit of a new territory. But I will prepare and do the best that I can to keep it normal.” (Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Barty keeps home hope alive to reach Australian Open quarters with win over Sharapova

Barty

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 20, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Ashleigh Barty rallied from a set down to beat former world number one Maria Sharapova 4-6 6-1 6-4 at Melbourne Park on Sunday.

She has now become the first Australian woman in a decade to reach the quarter-finals at her home Grand Slam.

The 22-year-old, converted her fourth match point with an ace to seal the victory in two hours and 22 minutes.

Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova looked in control after converting her third breakpoint in the ninth game of the first set and following it up with a service hold to love to take the opening stanza.

But Barty fought back to break twice in the second set and level the match, as more unforced errors crept into the Russian’s game, and then broke twice more in the decider to race into a 4-0 lead.

Sharapova, the 2008 champion, rallied to win three straight games but could not prevent Barty closing out the match and becoming the first Australian woman to reach the quarters since Jelena Dokic in 2009.

“It was a little close, wasn’t it?” a beaming Barty said. “I gave myself a lot of opportunities in the third set and just didn’t take it.

“She’s an absolute champion and she never ever was going to go away. I can match it with the best and when I execute, I know that I can.

“This is unreal, playing on this beautiful court in front of a packed house, there’s nothing better.”

Meanwhile, Barty will meet twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals after the eighth seed thrashed American teenager Amanda Anisimova 6-2 6-1 earlier in the day.

The Australian lost her last meeting to Kvitova in Sydney before the year’s first Grand Slam.

“It doesn’t get any easier at all, it’s just another challenge and I’ll try to come out and play my best tennis,” Barty said. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/HA

 

Sport

Australian Open: home hope Barty continues run with Sakkari win

Champions

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 18, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Ashleigh Barty eased past Greek Maria Sakkari 7-5 6-1 to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday, keeping alive local hopes of a home women’s champion.

Australians have had limited success in the tournament in spite of boasting several Grand Slam singles champions like Samantha Stosur, Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter since the 1990s.

No Australian man or woman has won the singles title at their home Grand Slam since the 1970s.

The last women’s finalist was Wendy Turnbull in 1980, while Hewitt lost the 2005 final to Russia’s Marat Safin.

The 15th-seeded Barty arrived in Melbourne after a final appearance at the Sydney international, where she also beat world number one Simona Halep.

She has looked untroubled in the year’s first Grand Slam, as the 22-year-old has looked in control and was yet to lose a set in the ongoing tournament.

Under a closed roof at the Rod Laver Arena due to morning showers, Barty broke Sakkari twice in each set to seal the win in an hour and 22 minutes.

Barty, who has also played elite-level cricket, served 13 aces without a double-fault and matched her best Grand Slam showing after reaching the last 16 stage at the 2018 U.S. Open.

“You have to keep giving yourself the opportunity to do better and better,” she told reporters.

“Its all trusting in the process and the work that my team and myself has done in the pre-season, and throughout the last 18 months, two years.

“We are continuing to chip away every single day and get better as a person and as a player every single day and continue to develop my game.

“Its getting to the point now where I am feeling more and more comfortable on the court and can play my brand of tennis, which when I execute I know it works against the best in the world.”

Melbourne is home to the largest population of Greeks outside their country and they turned out in large numbers, singing and chanting for Sakkari throughout the match.

World number 43 Sakkari, who has now reached the third round at all four Grand Slams, started aggressively but could not match Barty’s consistency.

Barty, who took a cautionary medical timeout at the end of the first set, will come up against a former world number one in the next round.

She awaits the winner of the third round clash between holder Caroline Wozniacki and former champion Maria Sharapova.

“Whoever wins that match, obviously they are both quality champions. Its just an opportunity for me to go and test myself against the best.” (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/EEE

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Edited by Ese E. Ekama

 

Sport

Australian Open: Home hope Barty shines brightly as compatriots stumble

 Victory

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 16, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Australia’s top-ranked player Ashleigh Barty beat Wang Yafan 6-2 6-3 in a straight-forward affair on Wednesday.

The victory propelled the home country’s leading prospect into the third round.

The 15th-seeded Barty is the highest ranked local player — either man or woman in the tournament and is known for her court craft and is an accomplished doubles player.

Interestingly, she has also played elite-level cricket.

“I felt like today was pretty clean, except for a couple of games where I got passive,” Barty told reporters.

The 22-year-old will play Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the third round.

She is one of a rapidly depleting list of local players at the tournament where Australians have had limited success in spite of boasting several Grand Slam singles champions like Samantha Stosur, Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter since the 1990s.

No Australian man or woman has won the singles title at their home Grand Slam since the 1970s.

The last women’s finalist was Wendy Turnbull in 1980, while Hewitt lost the 2005 final to Russia’s Marat Safin.

An injury-hampered Nick Kyrgios crashed out of the Australian Open first round on Tuesday in straight sets, leaving further doubts as to whether the 23-year-old can realise his potential.

Australia’s top-ranked male prospect, Alex de Minaur, is scheduled to play his second round match against Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen later on Wednesday. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/EEE

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Edited by Ese E. Ekama