Sport

Barty outclasses fellow Australian to reach Wimbledon last four

05:51 am on 7 July 2021

World number one Ash Barty outclassed compatriot Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals and set up a meeting with 2018 champion Angelique Kerber.

Ash Barty Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka will play eighth seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the other semi-final.

In the first all-Australian women's Grand Slam quarter-final since the 1980 Wimbledon championships, the 25-year-old Barty produced a calm and composed display on Centre Court.

Tomljanovic, who battled past British wildcard Emma Raducanu the night before to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final, was nowhere to be seen a one-sided first set.

But the 28-year-old did make more of a match of it in the second, breaking the Barty serve twice.

Barty always had another level though and ended Tomljanovic's resistance in little over an hour.

Kerber of Germany put in a strong show to beat an error-prone Karolina Muchova 6-2 6-3 on Tuesday to reach the semi-finals of the grasscourt Grand Slam.

The 2018 champion, seeded 25th at the All England Club this year, arrived for the contest having defeated Czech Muchova both times in their two meetings in two weeks in 2019 and never lost control of the match under the closed roof of Court One.

Former No.1 Kerber, who also won the Australian Open and the US Open in 2016, used her forehand immaculately against 19th seed Muchova and also mixed her drop shots expertly to set up chances for winners.

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka proved too powerful for Tunisian Ons Jabeur as she stormed into the last four with a 6-4 6-3 victory.

Aryna Sabalenka Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The 23-old Belarusian, playing in her first Grand Slam quarter-final, played aggressively throughout to keep 21st seed Jabeur on the back foot.

It took Pliskova almost a decade of trying before she finally reached the Wimbledon semi-finals with a rapid-fire 6-2 6-2 win over little-known Swiss Viktorija Golubic.

Neither player had even made it to the last eight of Wimbledon before this week but it was Czech Pliskova, a former world number one, who made her greater big-stage experience count.

Meanwhile in the men's draw Poland's Hubert Hurkacz ousted second seed Daniil Medvedev after the pair returned to finish their rain-hit match and reached his maiden major quarter-final where he will meet eight-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer.

World No.2 Medvedev was leading Hurkacz by two sets to one with the fourth set on serve when play was cancelled for the day because of rain after the players had spent two hours and 25 minutes on Court Two.

But the 24-year-old Hurkacz, seeded 14th, looked a completely different player when the match restarted under the closed roof of Centre Court, triumphing 2-6 7-6(2) 3-6 6-3 6-3.

Tonight's men's quarter-finals:

  • 1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) v Marton Fucsovics (Hungary)
  • 6-Roger Federer (Switzerland) v 14-Hubert Hurkacz (Poland)
  • 25-Karen Khachanov (Russia) v 10-Denis Shapovalov (Canada)
  • 7-Matteo Berrettini (Italy) v 16-Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada)

- Reuters