Australia’s Ashleigh Barty stunned former world number one Angelique Kerber in straight sets to reach the Wta Elite Trophy semi-finals on Thursday.
Twenty-one-year-old Barty, the youngest player at the season-ending tournament in China, needed just one hour and 11 minutes to down her German opponent 6-3, 6-4 at Zhuhai’s Hengqin International Tennis Centre.
Barty got off to an impressive start against eighth seed Kerber, securing a break in the sixth game and then firing an ace to win the set.
She reached her first Premier 5 tournament final in Wuhan in September after crushing French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, but ultimately fell to Caroline Garcia.
But Coco Vandeweghe, the number two seed, also from the US, managed to triumph over Russia’s Elena Vesnina in the final singles match of the day with a score of 6-3, 6-2.
- Coco Vandeweghe, Ashleigh Barty and Anastasija Sevastova advance at WTA Elite ...The Indian Express
- Ashleigh Barty overpowers Angelique Kerber to reach WTA Elite Trophy semisScroll.in
- Barty brutalises former World No.1 KerberYahoo7 Sport
- Barty on verge of remarkable rankings featYahoo7 Sport
- Barty relishing role as Aussie no. 1Australian Olympic Committee
- Barty, Sevastova storm into Zhuhai semisReuters Canada
- LIVE CoCo Vandeweghe - Ashleigh Barty WTA Elite Trophy - 4 November 2017Eurosport.com
- Barty enjoys her taste of revenge over Kerber, PavlyuchenkovaBrisbane Times
- Vandeweghe, Barty, Sevastova advance at WTA Elite TrophyNew Jersey Herald
