Barty unfazed despite exit from Brisbane; Serena moves into quarters

World number one Ashleigh Barty vowed to remain upbeat about despite her early exit from Brisbane International after loss against American qualifier Jennifer Brady on Thursday.

Brady registered her first-ever win over a top-10 player when she defeated Barty 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) at the Pat Rafter Arena.

Barty was playing her first match on home soil ever since topping the WTA rankings, played at the venue she trains at and in front of thousands of her adoring home fans.

Barty admitted to the fact that she was simply outplayed by Brady, who also beat former world number one Maria Sharapova in the first round.

“Jen was in control of the match -- she was in the centre of the court being the aggressor and I think you have to give credit where credit’s due,” said Barty, who practised with Brady early this week.

But when asked if she felt any pressure because of the attention, Barty ruled out feeling any pressure after the loss ahead of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, which is due to start in a few days time.

“I think that’s (the pressure) all come you from you guys, if I’m being completely honest,” she said.

“It doesn’t change the way that I practice. It doesn’t change the way that my team and I prepare. It doesn’t change me as a person.

“I think that you guys enjoy the fact that you get something to write about and you have something to talk about. So hopefully I make it interesting for you, but I don’t look at it beyond that.”

Brady will now play two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who beat Russian qualifier Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-2.

Karolina Pliskova, the world number two and defending champion, had to battle for two hours to avoid the same fate as Barty, eventually beating Australian wildcard Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1.

Pliskova will meet Alison Riske of the United States in the quarter-finals. Third seed Naomi Osaka was taken to three sets for the second match in a row before eventually overcoming the USA’s Sofia Kenin.

Kenin won the first set in a tiebreak before Osaka took control, winning 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-1.

Osaka will play sixth seed Kiki Bertens in the quarter-finals after the Dutchwoman beat Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams rallied from a set down to beat journeywoman Christina McHale at the WTA Auckland Classic on Thursday, and said it was just the workout she needed.

With her focus on winning a 24th Grand Slam at the Australian Open, Williams said she needs all the court time she can get after a long off-season since losing September’s US Open final.

It took the top seed two hours to put away the 27-year-old McHale and advance to a quarter-final with Germany’s Laura Siegemund, who ousted teen prodigy Coco Gauff in the second round.

Williams was broken three times before losing the first set 3-6 but recovered to take the next two sets 6-2, 6-3 in the all-American affair.

Elsewhere, Garbine Muguruza stepped up her Australian Open preparations by sending down 13 aces Thursday while battling into the semi-finals of the Shenzhen Open.

Spain’s former world number one defeated Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to reach her first semi-final since winning a title in Monterrey, Mexico last April.

The 26-year-old Muguruza, now ranked 35 in the world and the sixth seed, faces fifth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia in the last four in southern China.

Agencies