Ashleigh Barty beats Petra Kvitova to face Kenin in semis

MELBOURNE: Ashleigh Barty became the first Australian woman to reach the semi-finals at her home Grand Slam for 36 years with victory over Petra Kvitova in an absorbing encounter in Melbourne.

The top seed made 2019 runner-up Kvitova pay for a host of missed chances in a 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 victory at the Australian Open.

French Open champion Barty will face American 14th seed Sofia Kenin next.

Kenin reached her first major semi after a 6-4 6-4 win over Ons Jabeur.

The last Australian woman to reach the semi-finals in the singles at Melbourne Park was Wendy Turnbull in 1984, who was the most recent finalist from the home nation in 1980.

Kenin, 21, broke early on the way to winning the opening set but Jabeur, the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final, showed plenty of stomach for the fight, saving five set points over two games to keep the 14th seed waiting.

Jabeur, ranked 78 in the world, wasted three breakpoint chances in the sixth game of the second set with unforced errors and threw her racket away in disgust before being broken by Kenin in the next game.

Kenin converted her first match point when Jabeur, 25, found the net on a service return. Agencies

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