Barty in stunning triumph

ASH Barty will become Queensland’s top- ranked tennis player, toppling Sam Stosur, as a result of her ambush of f o r m e r world No. 1 Venus Williams in Cinc i n n a t i yesterday.

B a r t y ( p i c t u r e d ) , who was No. 271 at the start of the year, rose six spots on live rankings to No. 42 after her first win over a top- 10 player and her third over a top- 20 opponent in the past two months.

Williams, the Wimbledon runner- up last month, has a 19cm height advantage over Barty but the willingness of the Queensland qualifier to play aggressively in rallies secured her 6- 3, 2- 6, 6- 2 win.

Stosur has been Queensland’s top- ranked woman for more than a decade, but will drop at least two places to No. 44 next week.

Stosur, 33, has not played since Wimbledon while a hand injury heals.

Barty, 21, started the year professing a top- 100 ranking target for the year, but won her first career WTA title in April and has broken into the top 50 while securing wins over both Wimbledon finalists, Williams and All- England Club champion Garbine Muguruza.

“I’m having a great hardcourt season so far and loving the conditions here,’’ Barty said after her Cincinnati triumph.

Barty will next week have only one Australian woman ranked higher than her, Daria Gavrilova, who is forecast to been No. 26 after her 7- 6 ( 7- 1), 5- 7, 6- 3 loss to Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi.