Barty advances to quarter finals in Charleston

MIAMI: World number one Ashleigh Barty defeated hometown favourite Shelby Rogers 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4 in the third round of the WTA clay court tournament in Charleston, South Carolina on Thursday.

Barty moves on to the quarter-finals where she will face Spain’s Paula Badosa, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Caty McNally of the US.

“Shelby’s an exceptional ball-striker, she always makes you work very hard for every single point, every single match, and tonight was no different,” said Barty.

The Australian from Ipswich arrived in Charleston fresh off a victory in the prestigious Miami Open, where she successfully defended a WTA title for the first time.

After a first-round bye she made a quick adjustment to the green clay of Charleston, needing just 61 minutes to dispatch Japan’s 77th-ranked Misaki Doi, 6-2, 6-1.

Unseeded Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, ranked 91st in the world, toppled two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the third seed, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the quarters.

Kovinic broke twice for a 5-1 lead in the second set, then served out the victory with four straight service winners.

Kovinic will battle for a place in the semi-finals against Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, who advanced when sixth-seeded Garbine Muguruza retired while leading their match 6-0, 2-2 with a left leg injury.

Muguruza fired 10 winners to Putintseva’s one in the first set. She mustered a break of serve after a medical time out early in the second before opting to call it a day.