Barty’s cool delivery serves up a grand slam semi

Parisians like a little artistry with their tennis and they roared for Barty and stayed with her.

Australia's Asleigh Barty clenches her fist after scoring a point against Madison Keys. Picture: AP

Among Ash Barty’s most valuable assets is the ability to stay calm when the vast majority of her rivals, if not all of them, are thin-skinned divas prone to panic attacks, hissy fits and assorted other emotional meltdowns that bring them undone when the script is not going to their liking.

WTA starlets often regard themselves as the one and only attraction when they stride onto a court like they’ve just stepped out of the hair and makeup trailer. But when they’re made to work for their moment of triumph, or when the woman on the far side of the net threatens to get the last victorious line, they can lose the plot like Nicki Minaj storming off the set of American Idol: “Shut the f..k up! Finish the show! I’m done!”

Barty is more steady as she goes, as calm in a crisis as the Queensland State of Origin team she’s watched from a distance when her French Open quarter-final has been washed out on Wednesday. Finally taking to Court Suzanne Lenglen last night against American Madison Keys, who famously lost her nerve and the plot in the 2017 US Open final against Sloane Stephens, Barty has handled the occasion with aplomb, reaching her first slam semi-final with a 6-3 7-5 victory.

“I’ve done so much hard work to put myself in this position,” she said. “To be here now is amazing.”

Madison Keys plays a forehand. Picture: Getty

Barty led the tournament for aces ahead of her clash with Keys and when she started hitting her spots again, she was on her way. Barty’s delivery has been honed from a lifetime of doubles and again allowed her to squeeze out of a few tight situations. To borrow from cricket, you would call her serve a medium-fast offering with immaculate line and length. Keys was more inclined to come off the long run with both serve and groundstrokes, which made her untouchable on occasions but also more erratic.

Barty began by dunking a couple of forehands into the net. She banged the strings of her racquet with her left hand as if her guitar was out of tune. The quality of her serving and her calmness helped her through. Keys was hammering forehands in a thunderous beginning but the trick against the American is to stick with her until the late stages of a set. She’s inclined to get the yips. Serving first was a blessing for Barty. Scoreboard pressure has not always been the sort of pressure Keys has responded to. As early as the fifth game, she was huffing and puffing in exasperation, admonishing herself to an unnecessary degree.

Barty found favour with the crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Parisians like a little artistry with their tennis and when Barty produced two lobs, a drop shot and an acutely angled backhand to win a point, they roared for her and stayed with her. Keys was swinging flat and hard.

Barty was using every sort of spin in the book. She was the more complete player. And crucially, the more composed. When Keys served at 3-4, 30-30, you could almost bank on an unforced error. And there it was. At break point, Barty nailed a dream down-the-line backhand winner to put a gap in proceedings.

Having hit the lead, Barty stayed ahead. Keys started yelling at herself, shrugging her shoulders and generally looking miserable. Barty stumbled at 5-4 in the second set, losing serve for the first time, but the demeanour did not change. Her semi-final opponent tonight will be 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimova, who shocked defending champion Simona Halep in straight sets. It was thought Barty would win a major in the next couple of years. It might happen as soon as tomorrow in Paris.