Osaka's Birmingham exit gives Barty shot at number one

Osaka, who became world number one after winning the Australian Open, needed to reach the Birmingham final to guarantee she would stay ahead of Barty in the rankings but lost 6-2 6-3 to Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva.

Osaka's Birmingham exit gives Barty shot at number one

(Reuters)

Barty made short work of Jennifer Brady, beating the American 6-3 6-1 on Thursday to book her place in the quarter-finals and will become world number one if she goes on to win the tournament.

"The stars have aligned a little bit for me and I think when you get those opportunities you have to do your best to take them with both hands," the 23-year-old told reporters.

"That's what we have been able to do over the last month in particular but I feel like I'm comfortable in my own skin.

"I feel like I know exactly how I want to play in most matches, and it's just about going out there trying to execute as best I can."

Evonne Goolagong Cawley was the last Australian woman to top the world rankings in 1976 and if Barty wants to emulate her idol, she will first have to get past five-times Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in Friday's quarter-final.

(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Simon Jennings)


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world