Brisbane International 2019 draw: grand slam heavyweights line up for shot at Ash Barty
Ash Barty’s road to a maiden Brisbane International title could include a fellow grand slam tournament champion in every round following a horror draw for the superstar Aussie.
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Ash Barty’s road to a maiden Brisbane International title could include a fellow Grand Slam tournament champion in every round.
The draw for the 30-strong tournament was conducted on Saturday at the Queensland Tennis Centre, with Barty in the stronger half of the tournament.
The world No.1, who has a first-round bye, is on a collision course with a host of stars.
Her likely second-round opponent is Russian great Maria Sharapova, one of just 10 women to complete a career Grand Slam in singles.
Sharapova meets a qualifier in the first round ahead of what would be a crowd-please battle with Barty, who beat the Russian 6-4 6-1 when the pair met in Cincinnati in August.
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Should Barty progress into the quarter-finals, potential opponents include two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova or 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens.
The last time Kvitova met Barty, the Ipswich product prevailed 6-4 6-2 at the WTA Championships in China.
However, Stephens beat Barty 6-2 6-4 when the pair met in the round of 32 at the 2017 US Open.
If Barty reaches the semi-finals, awaiting he could be German star Angelique Kerber, a previous winner of Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open, or possibly even fellow Queenslander and 2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur.
Kerber got the better of Barty at last year’s Hopman Cup in Perth, winning 6-4 6-4.
If Barty navigates the host of talent in her half, her final opponent many be reigning Australian Open champion and 2018 US Open winner Naomi Osaka, the only Grand Slam singles tournament in the other half of the draw.
Barty’s likely tough BI road looms as an ideal start to her Australian Open preparations.
Her doubles partner Kiki Bertens, the tournament’s sixth seed, said Barty was primed to navigate her explosive draw.
“I think she is the best player at this moment and she is having a really good time,” said the Netherlands’ Bertens, who added she had been impressed by Barty’s rise to the top of women’s tennis.
“But for me it was not a surprise, and I think she is handling it all well.
“She is a nice person as well.”
Barty last played at the BI in 2018 when was a shock first-round loser to Lesia Tsurenko of the Ukraine.
Stosur, a wildcard entry into the tournament, meets Kerber in a tough first-round battle for the Australian veteran.
In an all-Australian first-round clash, Queenslander Priscilla Hon, a late entry into the tournament following the withdrawal of American legend Venus Williams, meets Ajla Tomljanović, who made her Fed Cup debut for her adopted country last year.
KVITOVA IS FIT AND FIRING
A refreshed and motivated Petra Kvitova has travelled to Brisbane with two new physical trainers as she prepares for a busy 2020 schedule.
The two-time Wimbledon winner and world No.7 begins her Australian summer program at the Brisbane International, where she meets Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round.
Kvitova is out to make amends for her early BI exit last year, when she was beaten in the second round in straight sets by Estonia’s Anett (ANETT) Kontaveit.
Despite that shock loss, Kvitova bounced back to win the Sydney International and reach the final of the Australian Open.
“It doesn’t matter who is going to play each other but I think everybody is prepared after the off-season, so it will be great,” the Czech 29-year-old said ahead of the BI, which starts Monday.
“It’s nice to be back here in Brisbane. I’m still in jet lag so it’s kind of tough of me, and you have warmer weather than we have in Europe so it’s been difficult as well, but overall it’s nice.
“I had a great off-season with preparation and staying home for Christmas, so it’s been nice.”
To ensure she stays in the best shape possible in a year where she wants to add to her Grand Slam title collection and win an Olympic Games medal, Kvitova has hired physical trainers Ivan Trebaticky and Florian Zitzelsberger.
In a recent interview with Czech media, Kvitova said working with a female coach had “never been on the table”.
“I do not think I would be comfortable. I have two older brothers and I find it so natural,” she said.
Originally published as Brisbane International 2019 draw: grand slam heavyweights line up for shot at Ash Barty