Ashleigh Barty continues to go well in Qatar to set-up Petra Kvitova semi-final clash

WTA Tour
Ashleigh Barty at Australian Open

Ashleigh Barty got the better of Garbine Muguruza on Thursday to set up a semi-final clash with Petra Kvitova at the Qatar Open. 

The Australian world number one lost the second set on a tie-break, but won her last eight clash 6-1 6-7 (4) 6-2 in Doha.

Up next for Barty, after her one hour and 51 minute encounter, is a match with 29-year-old Petra Kvitova.

Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon winner, held her nerve against Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur to win 7-6 (2) 7-6 (4).

The unseeded Svetlana Kuznetsova rolled back the years to stun fourth seed Belinda Bencic and book a semi-final berth with a 6-4 6-4 victory.

It was not so straightforward for Aryna Sabalenka, after she needed two hours and 20 minutes to defeat Zheng Saisai 3-6 7-6 (2) 6-3.

In Acapulco, Britain’s Heather Watson reached the semi-finals of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel with a three-set victory over America’s Christina McHale.

Seventh seed Watson won 6-3 1-6 6-1 in a match lasting almost two hours and will face Chinese qualifier Xiyu Wang in the last four after Wang beat compatriot and sixth seed Lin Zhu 6-2 6-2.

The other semi-final will see home favourite Renata Zarazua take on 17-year-old Canadian qualifier Leylah Fernandez.

Wild card Zarazua, who stunned top seed Sloane Stephens in the last 32, overcame Slovakia’s Tamara Zidansek 6-2 3-6 6-2, while Fernandez reached her first semi-final by beating fellow teenager Anastasia Potapova of Russia 6-3 7-5.

Follow us on Twitter @T365Official and like our Facebook page.

Ashleigh Barty Garbine Muguruza Petra Kvitova

Latest