The Barty’s over for Aussie hopes
ASHLEIGH BARTY’S hopes of becoming the first Australian woman since Wendy Turnbull in 1980 to reach the Melbourne final have been dashed.
The world No.1 won the first set of her quarter-final in 24 minutes, but Karolina Muchova was rejuvenated by a medical time-out as she triumphed 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The 25th-seeded Czech said: ‘My head was spinning so I took a break and it helped me.’ Barty
admitted she should have dealt with the long break in play better. ‘I’ve taken medical time-outs myself before, so that shouldn’t be a massive turning point in the match,’ she said.
OZAN KABAK spoke of the ‘special” feeling of winning in a Liverpool shirt for the first time as the Reds took a massive stride towards the Champions League quarter-finals.
Kabak signed on loan from Schalke on deadline day and the Turkish centre-back made his debut at Leicester as Liverpool crashed to a third successive Premier League defeat. But they returned to winning ways in Europe on Tuesday night with a 2-0 last-16, first-leg win over RB Leipzig in Budapest.
Kabak (left) said: ‘It was so special for me because this was my first clean sheet and my first win in this jersey.
‘I think we played very well and we gave everything on the pitch. We won all challenges in midfield and I think we deserved to win and I’m so happy.
‘Leipzig are a really good team and second in the Bundesliga, but I think we controlled the game very well.
‘In the first half we had a lot of good opportunities and in the second we scored because of their mistakes – but we already had it under control. It was a really impressive game from us.’