Barty party over in semi-final
American Sofia Kenin has shattered Ashleigh Barty’s Australian Open dream with a shock straight-sets semi-final win over the big home hope.
Kenin defied searing heat and her world No.15 ranking to upset the top seed 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 at Rod Laver Arena yesterday.
The 21-year-old will play either fourth-seeded Wimbledon champion Simona Halep or resurgent Spaniard Garbine Muguruza in tomorrow night’s final.
While Kenin gets the chance to claim her maiden grand slam crown, Barty will rue being unable to convert either of two set points from 6-4 up in the first-set tiebreaker or another two serving at 5-4 in the second set.
A hot favourite to become the first Australian woman since Wendy Turnbull 40 years ago to make an Open final, the world No.1’s defeat left the packed crowd on Rod Laver Arena shellshocked.
Even Kenin, who lost to Barty in the French Open fourth round last year, was pinching herself in the aftermath.
‘‘Honestly, I’m so speechless. I honestly can’t believe this. I’ve dreamed about this moment since I was five years old,’’ said the Moscowborn
14th seed. ‘‘I’m so speechless, thankful. I have worked so hard to be here. Thanks to my dad and everyone back home.’’
Barty dominated much of the opening set, conceding only four points in her first five service games.
But she paid the price for not cashing in on three break-point chances in the sixth game, as Kenin snatched the set in the breaker.
A winner of a tour-best 13 matches from a set down last year, Barty looked to be mounting a signature comeback when she charged to a 3-1 lead in the second set.
But, in temperatures nudging towards 40 degrees in Melbourne, the top seed crumbled trying to level the match up as Kenin reeled off four straight games from 3-5 down to seal victory after one hour and 45 minutes.
Meanwhile outplayed at his own brand of physical tennis for much of the match, Rafael Nadal finally claimed a set to try to start a comeback against Dominic Thiem.
Nadal marked the moment by hopping in a crouch at the baseline and vigorously pumping his right arm four times.
Soon, though, he was back in trouble. And eventually, his bid to tie Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles by winning the Australian Open was over with a quarterfinal loss Wednesday to Thiem — a younger version of Nadal himself.
Thiem’s 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (6) victory over the top-seeded Nadal lasted 4 hours, 10 minutes because of so many lengthy, electrifying points and put him in his fifth major semifinal.
It is his first somewhere other than at the French Open, the place that is Nadal’s domain.
Of more significance: The outcome ended Nadal’s career-best streak of making at least the semifinals at seven consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, a span during which he earned three trophies to narrow his gap with Federer.