The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Brady follows up Kerber scalp by easing into semi
World No 1 Ashleigh Barty won’t travel to Europe for the French Open
Jennifer Brady cruised into her first grand slam semi-final with a comfortable straight-sets win over Yulia Putintseva in the US Open in New York.
The 28th-seeded American never surrendered her advantage after charging into an immediate double break and needed just over an hour to wrap up a 6-3, 6-2 win.
Brady, who beat former champion Angelique Kerber in the previous round, has yet to drop a set in the tournament and will play either fourth seed Naomi Osaka or compatriot Shelby Rogers in the last four.
Brady, who was beaten in both her previous meetings with the Kazakh, said: “I felt like today I was a lot more aggressive off the first ball.
“I came out with nerves, obviously, and I think she did too because it’s our first quarter-final, but I just tried to treat it like any other match.
“I was happy with the way I started and I was able to keep that momentum and build off that. I’m thrilled to be in the semi-finals of the US Open.”
The 25-year-old Brady had shown signs of promising form when the sport resumed last month and she won her first tour title in Kentucky.
And her strong, front-foot game was too much for the awkward Putintseva, who cut a frustrated figure after flopping her opening two service games and subsequently the first set.
Dictating most of the action off her strong first serve, Brady broke again at the start of the second much to frustration of the Kazakh, who hurled her racket to the court.
A rare moment of success saw Putintseva break back but Rogers responded immediately and ultimately coasted into the semi-finals with the minimum of fuss.
Meanwhile, world No 1 Ashleigh Barty will not defend her French Open title later this month after deciding against travelling to Europe.
The 24-year-old, who claimed a maiden grand slam crown at Roland Garros in 2019, is still concerned about the health risks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Barty also pulled out of the US Open, which is currently ongoing, because of the same reason while she has also been unable to train with her coach in Australia because of travel restrictions.
She posted on Instagram: “There are two reasons for my decision. The first is the health risks that still exist with Covid and the second is my preparation, which has not been ideal without my coach being able to train with me due to the state border closures in Australia”.
Barty was the first major name to pull out of the US Open and five of the top 10 followed her, leaving a depleted field at Flushing Meadows.
However, there are not expected to be a large number of withdrawals from the clay-court grand slam, which starts on September 27. The French Tennis Federation announced on Monday that a limited number of spectators will be allowed in the main three show courts under strict rules.
Protocols for the players will be even stricter as they must stay in one of two tournament hotels and will not be allowed on site on days when they are not playing.
Serena Williams, a quarter-finalist at the US Open, could be one of those who does follow Australian Barty in withdrawing from the French Open as she would prefer to stay in private accommodation due to her health issues.