Ash Barty has fallen at the first hurdle at this year’s Rogers Cup in Toronto after suffering a shock three-set loss to Sofia Kenin.
The French Open champion crashed out 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, to the American in what was her first match since the fourth round of Wimbledon. Barty boasted a 3-0 head-to-head lead over Kenin heading into the clash, but was unable to tame some spirited play displayed by her rival. Who hit 27 winners to 35 unforced errors. An almost identical statistic to Barty’s tally of 27 and 32.
“I think these conditions are very different. The conditions here are very unique.” Barty reflected in her press conference. “I think I wasn’t able to adapt quickly enough or well enough to play a match of the standard that I expect myself to play and I want myself to play. Sofia served today in the big moments. She served particularly well and got a lot of free points.’
“I think these are courts where you need to be aggressive. You need to be confident and trust yourself and really hit through the ball, and today I didn’t have quite enough of that.” She added.
It is the first time this year Barty has lost her opening match at a WTA tournament. Heading into Toronto, she held a win-loss record of 39-6. The loss is also her earliest ever exit from the Rogers Cup, which she reached the semifinals of last year when the tournament was held in Montreal.
Barty’s early exit means that she is in danger of losing her No.1 ranking. A position she has held since June 24th. The two players in contention of dethroning her are Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova. Should Osaka win her opening match, there will be a new No.1 player. Meanwhile, Pliskova needs to reach the semi-finals to have a chance.
“It’s not something I focus about or worry about. I came here and tried to do my best and it wasn’t enough.” She commented on the situation.
“I have no control over the rest of the week, and I’m not sure who can take it (the No.1 position). But whoever it is, if they play well enough and they haven’t given up points or whatever it is, they deserve to take the ranking.”
As Barty switches her focus to the doubles, Kenin will take on either Victoria Azarenka or Dayana Yastremska next. The 20-year-old is the youngest American to defeat a No.1 player since Christina McHale back in 2011.
The world No.1 scenarios
– Barty will stay at the top if Osaka doesn’t win a match in Toronto and Pliskova fails to reach the semi-finals
– Osaka will become No.1 is she wins a match and Pliskova doesn’t go beyond the quarter-finals
– If Osaka reached the quarter-finals, Pliskova needs to reach the final
– Should Osaka and Pliskova face each other in the final, the winner claims the top position
