Australian tennis star Ashleigh Barty has booked a Sydney International semi-final showstopper with compatriot Daria Gavrilova after a convincing final-eight win on Thursday.
The 19th-ranked Barty showed why she entered the summer as the nation’s No.1 player after dominating an error-prone Barbora Strycova 6-3 6-2 on Ken Rosewall Arena.
Barty broke the Czech midway through the first set and didn’t look back, unleashing an impressive array of shots past a frustrated Strycova to run away with the match.
The 21-year-old, who is on debut in Sydney and is the highest ranked player left in the draw, has yet to drop a set this week.
She will now meet Gavrilova, who walked through to the final four following the withdrawal of world No.3 Garbine Muguruza on Wednesday due to a thigh injury.
Dominika Cibulkova meets former world No.1 Angelique Kerber in another quarter-final, with the winner to meet the victor of Camila Giorgi and Agnieszka Radwanska.
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