Ash Barty’s WTA Tour winning streak has finally halted after being knocked out of the Charleston Open by Spain’s Paula Badosa Gibert.
The Charleston Open has seen a number of upsets with none of the top-10 women’s seeds making it through to the semi finals.
Barty, the number one seed, was the last of the top seeds remaining when she took to the court to take on Gibert.
Ranked 71 in the world, Gibert had never previously taken on the Australian but came into the match full of confidence after defeating fifth-seed Belinda Bencic earlier in the tournament.
That victory was Badosa’s first over a top-20 ranked opponent on the tour.
Barty on the other hand was coming off her win at the Miami Open and a tough three-set victory over American Shelby Rogers on Thursday.
However, it was the 23-year-old Spaniard who dominated on Friday in South Carolina.
She secured the straight-sets victory, 6-4 6-3, on the back of her dominant serve and steely nerves.
It was an error-riddled performance from Barty. She was broken five times and hit 24 unforced errors to Badosa’s 12.
Concerningly, Barty was unable to convert numerous break-point opportunities against Badosa. She had 14 break points, only converting two.
Badosa on the other hand was clinical, winning three straight games to take out the final set and the match.
Heading into the clash, Barty was looking for her ninth-straight win on the WTA Tour after her victory in Miami.
Looking back on the loss, Barty admitted that whilst their rankings are worlds apart, she wasn’t at all surprised by the performance from Badosa.
“She’s a great player, a quality opponent,” Barty said post-match.
“I thought she served exceptionally well, made a lot of first serves on big points.
“She was able to keep good depth on the court, and I think that’s an important part of clay-court tennis, is allowing yourself to push your opponent off the baseline.”
Badosa was still in shock at the result speaking post-match. She could hardly believe the game she had just played and agreed it was definitely one of the best of her career to date.
“I can’t believe it. I still can’t believe that I just beat number one in the world,” Badosa said.
“I was quite nervous today, but I think I served very well.
“I think that was the key of the match. It was a tough match, but I was there until the last moment.”
Barty will next be in action at the Stuttgart Grand Prix which will be played behind closed doors due to COVID-19.
The tournament begins on April 19 and will also feature the likes of Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep.
Source : Sporting News
