Ashleigh Barty into semifinals on Montreal debut

The Australian defeats Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-1.

Published : Aug 11, 2018 00:17 IST

Ashleigh Barty will face either Caroline Garcia or Simona Halep in the semifinals.

Australian 15th seed Ashleigh Barty reached the semifinals of the Montreal WTA tournament on Friday, reeling off nine of the last 10 games to defeat giantkiller Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-1.

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Barty was the more composed player in difficult, windy conditions as Bertens, who had seen off ninth seed Karolina Pliskova and eighth-seeded Petra Kvitova in her previous two matches, was undone by 31 unforced errors in the 55-minute quarterfinal.

'Tricky conditions'

Barty has reached the semifinals on her Montreal debut having made the last 16 when the event was held in Toronto last year. “It was really tricky conditions and we were both struggling a little,” Barty said in her on-court interview. “I'm very happy to come through and get a little bit better during the match.”

The World No. 16 will face either top seed and Roland Garros champion Simona Halep or French sixth seed Caroline Garcia for a place in the final.