Barty time as home hero bids to live up to the hype
MELBOURNE: Ashleigh Barty is two victories away from becoming the Australian Open’s first home-grown winner in 42 years, but the top seed must first tame aggressive American Sofia Kenin today.
The other-semi final at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where temperatures are forecast to soar to nearly 40C, tees up Wimbledon champion Simona Halep and unseeded Garbine Muguruza.
The 23-year-old Barty is the only Australian left in the men’s or wom- en’s draw and will be expected to beat Kenin, the 14th seed contesting her first Grand Slam semi-final.
Barty, into the semi-finals at the Australian Open for the first time, has defeated the American in four of their five previous meetings.
Excitement is growing that Barty can become the first Australian winner since Chris O’Neil in 1978. But the world No.1 and reigning French Open champion is trying to ignore the hype.
“I don’t pay attention to it, honestly. I’m here to try and do the best that I can,” she said, after defeating Czech seventh seed Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals.
Underdog Kenin, 21, is flying the flag for the United States as the only American left at the Australian Open.
Kenin is adamant she will not shrink in the face of what will be vocal home support for Barty. “I guess I could just say aggressive, the fight in me,” she said, asked what her strengths are.
Romania’s Halep, defeated in the 2018 final by Caroline Wozniacki, is hitting top form at the right moment. She is yet to drop a set in Melbourne as she chases a third Grand Slam title.
“Perfection doesn’t exist, but I’m very happy with the way I played,” Halep said after disposing of 28th-seeded Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-1, 6-1 in her quarterfinal yesterday.
But in Muguruza, Halep takes on a player with Grand Slam pedigree whose confidence is also soaring.
Like Halep, Muguruza is a former world No.1 and winner at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. She beat 30th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 7-5, 6-3 in the quarter-finals.