The world No1 and top seed,
Ash Barty, has crashed out of
Wimbledon in a three-set defeat by the American
Alison Riske. Barty, who began Manic Monday on a run of 15 consecutive victories, was widely tipped to add the Wimbledon crown to the
French Open title she won in June but an error-strewn performance on Court No2 allowed Riske to spring a surprise.
Barty began imperiously, booming four consecutive aces in her opening service game and marching through the first set. Riske however, showed admirable tenacity to stay with Barty in the second set and as the Australian’s serve began to badly falter, she seized the initiative.
Riske, unseeded and ranked 55th in the world, is a surprise winner but she has showed her form here already, coming from a set down to overcome the 13th seed Belinda Bencic in the previous round. Her reward for dumping out Barty is a quarter-final against Serena Williams in her first ever last-eight appearance in a grand slam.
Riske demonstrated the threat she posed when, with Barty an early break up, she responded in style to level. She could not hold service however, going on to lose the opening set 6-3. Barty fell apart thereafter – her first serve percentage dropping to just 40% and two breaks allowed Riske to level the match. The third set went on serve until Riske was 4-3 and struck the decisive blow with a thumping forehand down the line before holding her nerve to advance in the quarter-finals.
Williams advanced to the quarter-finals with the minimum of fuss, breezing past Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2. Suarez Navarro was always up against it – she had never managed to take more than three games in a set off the seven-times champion – and Williams raced to victory in an hour and four minutes.
Williams had a mini-wobble in the second set, Suarez Navarro breaking to love when 3-0, but Williams swiftly re-established her authority, breaking for 5-2 with a delightful cross-court backhand before serving out a routine victory. With Barty’s shock defeat, Williams will be heavy favourite to beat her compatriot Riske in the quarter-finals.