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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday January 25, 2020

 
Ashleigh Barty

Ash Barty weathered the wind and pesky Alison Riske to slip into the quarterfinals at the Australian Open for the second consecutive year.

Photo Source: Mark Peterson/Corleve

Ash Barty edged Alison Riske in a tense back-and-forth struggle to book her spot in the Australian Open quarterfinals for the second consecutive year on Sunday in Melbourne.

The World No.1 broke away at the eleventh hour by claiming the final two games of the match to notch a 6-3 1-6 6-4 victory over the No.18 seed.

Tennis Express

Barty will bid to become the first Australian woman to reach the semis at the Australian Open since 1984 when she takes on Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. That match will be a rematch of last year's quarterfinal, won by Kvitova decisively, 6-1 6-4. Since then Barty has taken three straight off of Kvitova, and no matter who comes on top the respect between the pair of former Grand Slam champions is palpable.

"I think Ash is great," Kvitova said on Sunday after her quarterfinal win over Maria Sakkari. "She has to have such a big pressure on her. She's dealing with it like probably nobody else. That's really something why she is deserving to be No. 1 and won a Grand Slam. We'll see. It will be great match anyway. Sharing court with her, it's always a pleasure. Doesn't matter what the score will be but will be nice."


Barty snapped a two-match losing streak to Riske and avenged a tough round of 16 loss to the American last summer at Wimbledon in tricky conditions, with wind coming from one end of Rod Laver Arena much of the night.

After taking the opener, Barty lost the plot in the middle set and managed a paltry three winners against 12 unforced errors while surrending two breaks of serve.

But she rebounded in the final set to improve to 4-0 in deciders on the season.

Barty took the early lead in the third but a determined Riske battled back to break for 3-4 before levelling up at 4-all. Barty kept her poise, as she has done all week in Melbourne, holding with an ace for 5-4 and then earning a match point by nailing a backhand with Riske serving at 30-all in the next game. The shot caused the American to net the ensuing volley.

The match ended with Riske serving her second double-fault on match point.

Barty is now riding an eight-match winning streak on home soil. She claimed the Adelaide title last weekend.

 

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