Published on 11:06 AM, January 28, 2020

Barty, Kenin move into semifinals

Reuters, Melbourne

Ash Barty stormed into her maiden Australian Open semifinals on Tuesday with an emphatic 7-6(6), 6-2 win over Petra Kvitova while American Sofia Kenin saw off big-hitting Tunisian Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 at the Australian Open on Tuesday to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal.

Thrashed 6-1, 6-4 by Kvitova last year, top seed Barty rode a wave of crowd support as she defused the twice Wimbledon champion's power game before running away with the contest on a glorious afternoon at Rod Laver Arena.

French Open champion Barty saved two break points serving for the match, then sealed the win with an ace to become the first Australian woman to reach the semi-finals at Melbourne Park since Wendy Turnbull in 1984.

Barty will play 14th seeded American Sofia Kenin, who earlier beat Ons Jabeur, for a place in the final.

Kenin, 21, broke early on the way to winning the opening set but Jabeur, the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final, showed plenty of stomach for the fight, saving five set points over two games to keep the 14th seed waiting.

Jabeur, ranked 78 in the world, wasted three breakpoint chances in the sixth game of the second set with unforced errors and threw her racket away in disgust before being broken by Kenin in the next game.

Kenin converted her first match point when Jabeur, 25, found the net on a service return. The American will meet either world number one Ash Barty of Australia or Czech Petra Kvitova for a place in Saturday's final.

Barty, Kenin move into semifinals

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