Women’s cricket star Ash Barty on the verge of entering Top-50 in WTA rankings

Women’s cricket star Ash Barty on the verge of entering Top-50 in WTA rankings

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Ashleigh Barty, who made a name for herself in the Women’s Big Bash League, is on the cusp of entering the Top-50 in Women’s singles WTA rankings. The Queenslander has beaten eighth seed Barbora Strycova 6-3 3-6 6-1 at the Aegon Classic to reach her fourth quarter-final of the season.

In 2015, Barty decided to give cricket a shot, after winning the junior edition of Wimbledon, signing with the Brisbane Heat for the inaugural edition of the Women's Big Bash League. From a very tender age, she had shown a lot of promise on the tennis court as well and reached the doubles finals at the Wimbledon, the US Open and Australian Open with her partner Casey Dellacqua in 2013. 

After taking a two-year break from tennis for a career in cricket, the Aussie returned to the court 18 months ago and from no ranking, now, she sits at a career-high ranking of No.70. Today, she showed yet another example of her class and upstaged world no. 22 Barbora Strycova 6-3 3-6 6-1 to reach her fourth quarter-final of the season.

“It feels great and obviously I love this grass court season. It’s nice to come through this tricky match today,” the Aussie said after winning the game, reported the Herald Sun.

“I love this court and I’m really excited to be in the quarter-finals,” she added.

After the victory, Barty will now square off with either second seed Elina Svitolina or Camila Giorgi for a place in the semi-finals. If she manages to win the tournament, she would enter the Top-50 for the first time in her career. 

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