Australian Open: Petra Kvitova the spark that lit Ash Barty’s fire

There’s some history between Ash Barty and the woman she faces in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

Ash Barty signs autographs after her victory against Alison Riske in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday. Picture: AFP

There’s some history between Ash Barty and the woman she faces in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday.

A first win over Petra Kvitova for Barty in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open at the end of March was arguably the spark that set the 23-year-old on the path to a stellar 2019.

The current world No 1 and two-time Wimbledon champion will clash for the second year in succession in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park on Tuesday.

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Kvitova had a hold over Barty in the early stages of last season. The 29-year-old Czech denied the Australian in the last-ever final of the Sydney International, and then proved too strong in Melbourne, winning in straight sets in just 68 minutes.

That was Kvitova’s fourth win in a row over Barty, but there is nothing the Queenslander enjoys more than trying to solve a riddle, and by the time Miami came around, she felt she had the ­answer.

The key was to defuse the powerful Kvitova serve, which she has managed with some subtle adjustments in positioning.

Barty said it was “important for me to try and take Petra’s serve away from her as much as possible” because “she’s got an absolute world-class serve”.

It proved a success. Barty withstood a second-set blast to claim her maiden victory over the 2019 Australian Open finalist.

“At times it was still out of my control but I tried to do the best I could and tried to get into as many service games as I could and I thought I did that really well,” she said. Winning that match helped Barty break into the top 10 for the first time. Two matches later she had landed the biggest title of her career to that stage, the Miami Open.

And it has largely been onwards and upwards since that triumph over Kvitova, who she subsequently defeated in three sets in Beijing and then in straight sets in the WTA Championships.

The world No 1 now feels much better equipped to face Kvitova and is once again focusing on taking on the Czech’s serve. “(I’ve got) more experience. I’ve played Petra a few more times,” Barty said. “Tactically, the last few times we’ve played Petra, we’ve had a small, small adjustment, small change. It’s never an easy match. I think maybe all but one have gone to three sets. I think I’m looking forward to another battle against a quality opponent.”

Kvitova, for her part, has enjoyed a strong start to 2020. She reached the semi-finals in Brisbane and has dropped only one set to date in an impressive run thus far in Melbourne.

The Czech has never reached the world’s top ranking, but is particularly impressed by the manner in which Barty, who has spent a total of 28 weeks at the top since first getting there in June last year, is handling the burden.

“I think Ash is great. She has to have such a big pressure on her,” Kvitova said. “She’s dealing with it like probably nobody else. That is really something (as to) why she is deserving to be No 1, and (she) won a grand slam.

“I think that she is … very talented. She has great touch. She has a mix of the shots. She has everything for the good game and, really, she’s playing much better (than last year).”

Barty’s deeds have impressed renowned coach Darren Cahill.

Cahill steered Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and one of his current charges, Simona Halep, to the world’s top ranking and could be in the opposing camp to Barty in Saturday’s final if the seedings go to plan. But he said Barty, the Young Australian Of The Year, deserved every accolade that came her way.

“I think that I’m Australian, so everything that Ash has done in the last two or three years has been inspiring for all of us. And it’s not just what she’s been able to do between the lines. It’s the way she’s been able to do it and the way she’s conducted herself outside of the lines,” Cahill said. “She’s an inspiration for not only the young generation here in Australia, but for everybody. My generation, as well. She epitomises what we think Australians are all about. And that is hard work, give it your best shot, being really humble in success, and shaking somebody’s hand if they are too good for you and saying, ‘Well played, mate. You were too good today’.

“That is Ash Barty. I think that sums her up. The fact that she won the Young Australian of the Year Award at the honours, Australia Day honours, she thoroughly deserves that because she is genuinely a great person.I’m really happy for her. If we are lucky enough … to be coaching against her on Saturday, that would be a good problem to have.”

P26