Australian Open: Ashleigh Barty aiming to end 42-year wait for homegrown champion
Barty, targeting a second Grand Slam singles title in a year, will face 14th seed Sofia Kenin in Australian Open semi-finals on Thursday
Wednesday 29 January 2020 23:39, UK
World No 1 Ashleigh Barty insists she is undaunted by the increasing expectation that she can end a 42-year wait for a homegrown Australian Open champion.
The 23-year-old defeated 2019 finalist Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals on Tuesday to become the first Australian woman to make the last four in singles since Wendy Turnbull in 1984.
Barty now stands two wins away from her second Grand Slam title and becoming the first home winner of the women's singles since Chris O'Neil in 1978, but she says she would rather "be sitting at home just living my quiet little life".
Hopefully I can bring a smile to a few faces around our country and around the world.
"I don't pay attention to it, honestly," Barty said of the increasing attention on her.
"I'm here to try and do the best that I can. Obviously it's exciting.
"Hopefully I can bring a smile to a few faces around our country and around the world.
"For me, it's trying to do the best that I can, find that enjoyment for myself and my team. I'm excited. My team's excited. We love the opportunity of getting another match out on that beautiful court."
- Australian Open 2020: Women's Draw
- Sky VIP - thousands of prizes this February including Premier League tickets, trips to Hollywood, Australia and more
Barty had lost to Kvitova at the same stage last year, but there was no repeat of that defeat as she recorded her fourth successive win against the two-time Wimbledon champion.
"I love testing myself against Petra. She has this way of bringing out the very best in me," said the top seed.
"She came at me with all guns blazing. That first set could have gone either way. It was really important to try and get my nose ahead when I could. It was nice to save a set point and get a roll on early in the second set with a couple of quick breaks."
Barty, who won the Adelaide International earlier this month for her first home WTA title, will next face 14th seed Sofia Kenin after the American beat Ons Jabeur to reach her maiden Grand Slam semi-final.
At the French Open last year, Barty, who quit tennis to play professional cricket in 2014, but returned to the sport 17 months later, became the first Australian to win a singles title at Roland Garros since Margaret Court in 1973.
Meanwhile, Kenin, who knocked out 15-year-old sensation Cori Gauff in the fourth round, is relishing the opportunity to compete for a place in a Grand Slam final.
"It feels really good. I'm super excited for it," said Kenin, who was born in Russia before her family moved to the United States when she was a baby.
"I think overall I played really good. I tried to handle the nerves. I did a really good job handling myself.
"I feel like I'm playing really well. Of course, it's really different being second week in a semi-final. Obviously I'm playing with more confidence. I really feel like I can do well."
Check our news, reports and reaction from all major tennis events by following us on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices or our Twitter account @skysportstennis.
