The #NatureValleyClassic has been full of high-quality tennis and quarterfinal day was definitely not an exception. From world-class performances to comebacks from the brink, it was an eventful day on the Ann Jones Centre Court as four players booked their spots in the semifinals respectively.
Strycova puts in a wonderful display
#BarboraStrycova went up against #KristynaPliskova in an all-Czech derby as they battled it out for the first semifinal spot of the day. The lefty stunned twin sister Karolina in a highly-anticipated match two days before but was unable to replicate her flawless performances as the crafty Strycova played some solid tennis to prevail in straight sets.
Strycova survived the match without being broken, erasing all five break points she had faced. Her brilliant returning skills were also on display as Pliskova managed to serve just six aces, compared to a tour-leading 24 in her second-round match.
The decisive moment of the match was the eighth game in the second set when Strycova had to rally back from 0-40 while being down 3-4, producing big serves when it mattered the most. The veteran fired 18 winners to just nine unforced errors in total, and Pliskova’s 17 unforced errors proved costly despite blasting 21 winners in the process.
Barty continues her fantastic run
Meeting Strycova in the semifinals would be the newly reigned French Open champion and the world number two #AshleighBarty. The Australian continued her fantastic run of form with a surprisingly comfortable win over the legendary #VenusWilliams, fighting back from an early deficit to triumph in straight sets.
Williams was the one who started the match brighter as her monstrous forehands seemed to be the weapon which will separate both players. However, after surging towards a 4-1 lead in the opening set, Williams’ forehands faltered as Barty marched back into contention. Rattling five consecutive games, it was the Australian who took the first set 6-4.
The second set was dominated by Barty as she rode on her momentum and did not lose her serve en route. Fending off an early surge from a resurgent Williams, she snatched two breaks to grab the win in just 85 minutes of action. With this win, Barty is just two wins away from claiming the number one ranking at the end of the week.
Goerges blasts her way past Putintseva
#YuliaPutintseva stunned world number one Osaka the day before but was unable to reproduce her magic as she was simply outplayed by a firing #JuliaGoerges. Goerges, the eighth seed, returns onto grass after reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon last year and had to recover from a set and a break down against Yastremska in the opening round to reach this stage of the tournament.
Goerges put up a serving clinic as she blasted nine aces and went on to claim the terrific 6-3, 6-2 win without losing any of her service games, erasing all four break points she had faced in the midst. Her game on grass is lethal and works especially well against a defensive-minded player like Putintseva.
Firing 31 winners to just 19 unforced errors, Goerges left no mercy as she barged into the semifinals here in Birmingham, and it seems that she will be the toughest challenger in Barty’s quest for the title and the top spot this week.
Miraculous comeback for Martic
Facing Goerges in the semifinals would be #PetraMartic, but the Croatian suffered a very huge scare against the resurgent #JelenaOstapenko in the quarterfinals. Ostapenko, who caught fire this week in Birmingham with comfortable wins over rising star Swiatek and home favourite Konta, looked set for the straight-sets victory as she surged out to 4-0 leads in the first and second sets.
On both occasions, Ostapenko was caught in a moment of frustration and started producing a series of unforced errors which allowed Martic to claw back. In the first set, the Latvian was able to rebound and overpower her opponent to take it in a tiebreak. However, she was not so lucky in the second set as she wasted five match points on the return (fourth with errors, one with a Martic ace) and the Croatian took full advantage.
The final set was extremely one-sided as Ostapenko completely lost the plot — getting broken three consecutive times as Martic snatched the win from the brink. In one of the most extraordinary statistics of the year, the 2017 Roland Garros winner produced a whopping 70 unforced errors, including 20 double-faults.
Saturday’s schedule
Strycova and Barty will kick off play at 11.30am local time before Goerges and Martic will take the court. After the two singles semifinals are concluded, both doubles semifinals will be played on the Ann Jones Centre Court as well.
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