Australian Open: Barty using brains over brawn

Ash Barty is proving herself the mastermind of women’s tennis, with her ability to solve problems a driving force in her run to the Australian Open semi-finals.

Ash Barty cranks up a serve during her win over Petra Kvitova. Picture: Michael Klein

Ash Barty is proving herself the mastermind of women’s tennis, with her ability to solve problems during matches a driving force in her run to a maiden Australian Open semi-final.

The world No 1 showed her capacity to adjust mid-match yet again when she was too strong for dual-Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 7-6 (6) 6-2 in their quarter-final on Tuesday.

The Queenslander will now face emerging American star Sofia Kenin, who reached her first grand slam semi-final by defeating Tunisian Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-4.

Barty had lost her first four matches against Kvitova, including a quarter-final in Melbourne a year ago. In the space of 12 months the Australian has squared the ledger with the Czech star, having identified a strategy that has enabled her to defuse the left-hander’s prodigious serve.

The WTA Tour Finals champion moved her returning position a little further to the left than she would normally stand to return serve, a strategy that had worked leading into the quarter-final.

Ashleigh Barty plays a forehand during her quarter-final win over Petra Kvitova

When last year’s Australian Open finalist began to thump Barty’s sliced backhand, the Queenslander opted to drive the ball more frequently on that wing — another key adjustment.

After her victory she credited her Melbourne-based coach Craig Tyzzer for ensuring she was well-briefed before every match.

“It’s in-depth. (The briefing has) got a lot of detail,” she said.

“Tyz is very precise in what he has seen from previous matches (and) what he’s looked at in our opponents. (There is) also a little bit of … discussion that we have back and forth.

“He’s the best at what he does for a reason. It’s certainly nice having him in my corner because I feel like he could probably pick me apart pretty easily. So it’s nice to have him in my corner.”

Deciding on a plan is one thing, but executing it as another, particularly when up against rivals of the highest quality.

Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova was overwhelmed by Ash Barty

Kvitova performed with distinction but Barty’s defence and court coverage ranged from superb to astonishing on occasion, much to the chagrin of the 29-year-old Czech.

The standout point came when Kvitova was ahead 3-2 in the first set tie-breaker and appeared to have won the point three times, only for the ball to rebound again.

“It was a huge one for sure. Probably I did everything I could in that moment,” Kvitova said.

“Definitely it was one of the toughest points, for sure, in the match. I’m not sure if she’s reading the game like that, or (if) it was just the bad timing (from) me or just a bad choice of the sides.”

Another significant challenge awaits Barty, who is the first Australian woman to make the semi-finals of her home grand slam since Wendy Turnbull in 1984.

Similarly to her matches against Alison Riske and Kvitova, Barty is well aware of the threat Kenin is capable of presenting on Thursday. The pair played four testing matches in 2019, with the Australian winning three of them.

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Barty, who absorbed a barrage of brilliant shots from Kvitova in the opening set before pulling away in the second, edged her younger rival in a Fed Cup tie last February. Kenin, 21, claimed her first set from three outings against the Australian at Roland Garros in a fourth-round match in a tournament the Australian champion famously went on to win.

The American, who ended the run of prodigious talent Coco Gauff in the fourth round in Melbourne, posted her first victory over Barty in Canada in August.

Barty, 23, who won their most recent encounter, in Wuhan, knows her rival will try to dictate from the centre of the court: “She has a knack of controlling the court from the centre and being that first-strike player. It’s going to be important for me to nullify that.”

Kenin’s parents moved from Russia to the US so their daughter “could have the American dream”, the right-hander said on Tuesday.

“They gave me the American dream. I am proud of it and thankful for them,” Kenin said.

The young American has been well supported in Melbourne but is aware the support is likely to dwindle when she plays the Australian.

But, given the 14th seed’s growing maturity and knowledge of the world No 1’s game, Kenin is confident of springing an upset.

“It’s going to be a good match. I’m excited,” she said. “Of course, she’s playing at her home, so it’s a little bit different.”