Ash Barty vows to finish season on a high with Fed Cup success

Ash Barty is determined to finish a spectacular season on a high note by steering Australia to a first Fed Cup success since 1974.

Ash Barty fires a forehand back to China’s Qiang Wang at the US Open in New York. Picture: Getty Images

Ash Barty is determined to finish a spectacular season on a high note by steering Australia to its first Fed Cup success since 1974.

A stunning season at grand slam level in singles highlighted by her triumph at Roland Garros ended when Barty was upset by China’s Qiang Wang in New York.

The 23-year-old Queenslander struggled for her best form in New York and ultimately a rising unforced error count derailed her in the round-of-16 match and she was beaten 6-2 6-4.

Angelique Kerber was the last woman to win two majors in the same season, bookending 2016 with success in the Australian and US Opens.

Defending champion Naomi Osaka has an opportunity to match that feat after her success in Melbourne, but Barty and Wimbledon champion Simona Halep are now out of the picture.

Barty said afterwards that although disappointed, reaching the second week of a major was a significant achievement.

“I don’t think the second week of a slam is a missed opportunity,” she said. “It’s a hell of an effort for all slams to get to the second week. Yes, I would have loved to have done better. It wasn’t to be. But (it is) certainly not something I’m stressed about.

“I think it’s easy to put into perspective because of the person I am (and) the team that I have around me.

“It doesn’t matter whether I win a tennis match or not, I’ve won a grand slam or I haven’t. It’s not really something that keeps me up at night.

“I know that I did everything possible to try and prepare as well as I could today and played as well as I could. But in the big moments, it wasn’t there.”

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There are several goals still ahead for Barty over the final three months of the season.

The first priority is to attempt to defend the US Open doubles title she won a year ago with CoCo Vandeweghe.

Barty’s partner this year is Victoria Azarenka, and the pair are also pushing to try to qualify for the lucrative season-ending championships to be played in Shenzhen in late October.

Barty leads the singles race for the same event and will feature in the prestigious championships for the first time.

But the opportunity to spearhead an Australian success in the women’s team event is her driving ambition.

Australia will host France in the final to be played in Perth on November 9 and 10.

“I am very pumped. Probably for the first time in my career, I have actually had an end date for my season, which is really exciting,” Barty said.

“To be able to finish off playing for your country in the last week of the year is really cool. It has been a long time coming for us girls, trying to get into a Fed Cup final, so we are really excited it is at home in Australia as well.

“I know it is expected that the crowd is going to be enormous. I know Perth is going to be close to full, so hopefully we can fill it and finish off the season really well.”

Barty, who is provisionally ranked world No 1, will play in Asia in the coming weeks. It is during this period that a clearer indication may emerge as to who will fill the second singles spot for Australia.

Daria Gavrilova, Kimberly Birrell and Sam Stosur have played singles rubbers in ties against the US and Belarus without managing to win a point for their nation.

Barty partnered Priscilla Hon to clinch the pivotal doubles rubber against the US and then Stosur in Brisbane, in a thrilling triumph over Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka.

Both Birrell and Gavrilova have battled injury this year and Stosur has struggled to recapture her best form. All three women are ranked outside the top 100.

Barty says captain Alicia Molik has some tough ­decisions to make, with Hon qualifying for the US Open, Astra Sharma earning ­direct entry and Lizzie Cabrera having shown promise in recent weeks.

“I still think there is a bit of time left in the season for girls to try and grab their spots and I know that I also have to try to do everything I can to try to make sure I keep my spot,” she said.