Australia’s Ash Barty is feeling the blistering heat on multiple fronts on Rod Laver Arena, after she squandered two set points to trail American 14th seed Sofia Kenin 7-6(6) in the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
The local hope held two chances to close out the opening stanza with a 6-4 lead in the tiebreak, but some tentative play from Barty and some audacious shotmaking saw her 21-year-old opponent steal it at the death.
Thursday’s semi-finals kicked off with temperatures nudging 39 degrees celsius, and it was the world No.1 who was the first to blink.
Barty appeared nervous from the outset, striking no less than nine unforced errors over the first six games of the match — many coming off the backhand wing, as her notoriously lethal slice missed its mark.
However, a strong serving performance saved the Australian from early trouble. Barty only lost one point on her first serve leading into the tiebreak, and was the first to six games off the back of her seventh ace.
Kenin, who helped dethrone Barty as the world’s-best player by winning their encounter in Toronto last year, showed the talent that bestowed her the title of the tour’s most improved player.
She remained consistent from the back of the court with plenty of margin on her shots, and chose her opportunities to strike smartly.
But it was Barty who had the only break point opportunities of the set, meekly losing all three.
What defence! Ash had no right to win that point!!! Kenin can't believe it!
Watch: @Channel9
Stream: https://t.co/VLoDqoHZ5m#9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/fqQmiZn0wu— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) January 30, 2020
Crucially, the world No.1 chose not to challenge a Kenin forehand that appeared to soar long at 6-5. Hawkeye later indicated that had she challenged the call, she would have brought up a set point.
And she was made to pay in the tiebreak. Gaining the upper hand after losing the first point, Barty’s tentativeness on potential winners proved costly, with topsping forehands overshooting long and wide.
Fittingly, it was a Barty return error dumped into the net that gifted the Moscow-born Kenin the set, eliciting an almighty roar,
The post Australian Open: Ash Barty in trouble against Sofia Kenin appeared first on The New Daily.
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