Barty's world No.1 ranking in big danger

Wednesday, 7 August 2019:

ASHLEIGH BARTY of Australia plays a forehand shot during her semi final match against Garbine Muguruza at the Aegon Classic Birmingham at Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham, England.
ASHLEIGH BARTY of Australia plays a forehand shot during her semi final match against Garbine Muguruza at the Aegon Classic Birmingham at Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham, England.


Ashleigh Barty's world No.1 ranking is in serious jeopardy after the Australian was a shock casualty in the second round of the Canadian Open.

Barty fell to Sofia Kenin 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4 in Toronto in just under two hours on Tuesday, marking the American's first victory over a top-five WTA player.

Barty, playing for the first time since losing in the fourth round at Wimbledon a month ago, enjoyed a bye in the opening round and struggled to find her rhythm on her return to the circuit.

"I think it was a little rust but I think just in general it was just a bit loose," Barty said.

"At times I was missing by big margins, which is not something that I'm used to or comfortable with, but it's not panic stations.

"It's my first match on hardcourt in a long time."

The French Open champion took the first set against Kenin after racing out to a 5-1 lead in the tiebreaker.

But Kenin then took control of proceedings in the second, carving out a 4-0 lead before stifling a three-game Barty comeback to take the match to a third set.

World No.29 Kenin nearly squandered a 4-1 cushion in the decider but held her nerve and closed out the match when a misfiring Barty sent a routine forehand long.

"It's very different conditions here and different coming from home, training in winter at the moment, where the ball is a little lower and here it's quite lively and quick off the racquet," Barty said.

"All in all, I didn't adjust well enough or quick enough to the conditions how I needed to."

The defeat means Barty will lose the No.1 ranking if Japan's Naomi Osaka wins her second-round match (on Thursday AEST) against German qualifier Tatjana Maria.

The Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova also has the chance to take the top ranking this week but must reach the semi-finals to have any hope.

Australian Ajla Tomljanovic retired 22 minutes into her opening round clash, trailing Polish ace Iga Swiatek 4-1 in the first set.

In other first-round action, Barty's doubles partner, former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka, beat Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-2 but seven-time grand slam champion Venus Williams suffered a 6-4 6-2 loss to Spaniard Carla Suarez-Navarro.






AAP






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