By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, April 23, 2021
Karolina Pliskova served for the match, but Ash Barty rallied winning the final three games for a 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 win to reach the Stuttgart semifinals.
Photo credit: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Facebook
Streaks and skid marks across the red clay were a testament to Ashleigh Barty's tenacity.
In a battle of the current and former world No. 1 players, Karolina Pliskova served for the match at 5-4 in the final set, before Barty staged a spirited comeback.
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The world No. 1 won the final three games rallying past Pliskova 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 into the Stuttgart semifinals in her Porsche Tennis Grand Prix debut.
It is Barty's 10th victory in her last 11 matches as she raised her 2021 record to 18-3.
It was a tough day for former champions.
Reigning Stuttgart champion Petra Kvitova held match point at 5-2 in the second set but could not convert as Elina Svitolina stormed back for a 6-7(4), 7-5 6-2 comeback victory. The fourth-seeded Svitolina scored her third straight win over Kvitova weeks after she rallied past the two-time Wimbledon winner for a 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 win in the Miami Open round of 16.
The 2019 Roland Garros champion Barty will play Svitolina for a spot in Sunday's final.
The 2018 Stuttgart champion Pliskova saved 14 of 19 break points, including nine of 11 break points she faced in the final set. Pliskova put herself in position for a third career win over a reigning world No. 1 and her first semifinal since 2020 Rome last fall.
Today's first quarterfinal was a rematch of the 2019 Miami Open final, which Barty won 7-6(1), 6-3. Playing to her her strengths, Pliskova served 69 percent and fired first-strike forehands with force streaking through the final four games to seize a one-set lead.
Resetting, Barty broke at love to start the second set winning eight of the first nine points.
The 5'5" Aussie stands a half-foot shorter than Pliskova but showed her serve strength. Barty banged all areas of the box with her first serve and used her slice backhand, that Pliskova compared to Roberta Vinci's slice after the 2019 Miami final, to force the tall Czech to dig out low balls from awkard spots on court.
The top-seeded Barty burst through five straight games winning the second set and going up 1-0 in the decider only to see Pliskova respond with a three-game run to go up a break in the finale.
Serving for the match at 5-4, Pliskova erased three break points but missed a diagonal forehand wide to face a fourth break point. Pliskova pumped a slider serve down the middle denying it.
Another backhand error put Pliskova under pressure facing a fifth break point. Barty sent the Czech chasing into the corner inducing a netted running forehand to level after 10 games.
Dropping her toss arm and head, Pliskova dragged a double fault into net and followed with an error to face double match point.
On her second match point, Barty patiently picked away a the Czech's weaker backhand wing then reversed the rally drawing a forehand error to close in two hours.