Ash Barty has moved one step closer to her first Australian Open title, defeating Jessica Pegula in straight sets.
The Aussie was clinical from start to finish, winning the quarter-final 6-2, 6-0.
The loss marked the end of a strong tournament run for 27-year-old Buffalo native Pegula, who eliminated fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari in the fourth round.
Barty converted five of his nine break chances during the match, while only giving his opponent one break chance.
In particular, he broke Pegula’s serve in the first game of each set, setting the tone from the get-go. The 25-year-old won the last nine games to cap off a dominant display.
Speaking after the match, Barty was humble as ever.
“That was solid tonight,” Barty said. “I had a lot of fun here. I was able to serve and find a lot of forehands down the middle of the court and I was happy to start the game.”
“Be aggressive with my forehand, don’t worry if I miss a couple, as long as I’m doing the right things. I feel like I was able to do that the whole match.”
Home crowd favorite Barty will be making her second Australian Open semi-final appearance after her run in 2020.
Although she doesn’t put too much pressure on herself, she feels that she has matured since then.
“I mean, I’ve grown as a person, as a player,” Barty said. “I feel like I’m a more complete tennis player. Obviously, I have a couple more years of experience in handling different situations and being able to solve problems on the court.”
“I think it’s a credit to my team. They’ve worked a lot with me behind the scenes to make the best version of myself. I love playing here. It makes me smile, no matter what it is.” happening during the points. Hopefully there’s a little more.”
Ash Barty will now face Madison Keys in the semifinals. The American has enjoyed a solid campaign so far despite arriving at Melbourne Park as an unseeded player.
Keys defeated fourth seed Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-2 earlier Tuesday.
This will be the third player from the United States that Barty faces in this tournament, following wins over Pegula and Amanda Anisimova.
His match with Keys is scheduled for Thursday. Barty is 2-1 against Keys before what is likely to be an exciting matchup.