Stephens, Barty reach semis at Rogers Cup
MONTREAL — After a brilliant grass court season, Ashleigh Barty is rocking the hardcourts at the women’s Rogers Cup tennis tournament.
Barty, the 15th seed, posted a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands in a quarterfinal on Friday.
The Rogers Cup is her first action since winning 12 matches in the short grasscourt season, which included a tournament title in Nottingham and reaching the third round at Wimbledon.
Then she went home to Australia for a little break before getting back to work.
“Wimbledon was successful but disappointing in the same breath,” the 22-year-old said. “It was really nice for me to go home.
“I had just over two weeks of no tennis, actually, which is really nice. Then hit for about 10 days before I came over here. It was a nice to be at home just cruising with my family, seeing them after I was away for two and a half months.”
Third-seeded Sloane Stephens cruised past Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 6-2, 6-2.
In the semifinals, Barty will face the winner of a later match between Simona Halep and Caroline Garcia while Stephens will play the winner between Elina Svitolina and Elise Mertens.
That Barty has climbed back into the WTA’s top 20 is impressive considering she set tennis aside for cricket in 2015.
She left the Brisbane Heat of the Women’s Big Bash League to resume her tennis career in February, 2016.
Before that, she had been Wimbledon junior champion in 2011. In 2013, she reached the doubles final of three grand slam tournaments with partner Casey Dellacqua.
“I felt like it was a gradual progression for me to come back and play tennis,” said the fivefoot-five Barty. “I feel like this is where I belong.
“It was really challenging. The first year, I think it was 2016, I struggled with injuries, getting my body right, actually being able to go out and play matches. But I feel great. I feel as best as I ever have on and off the court.”