WTA: Barty after victory against Ostapenko first finalist in Wuhan

Ashleigh Barty is the first finalist at the WTA Premier 5 event in Wuhan: the Australian defeated a beaten Jelena Ostapenko in two straight sets.

The first semi-finals in Wuhan failed to deliver what tennis fans had hoped for from the clash between reigning French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko and returnee Ashleigh Barty: Ostapenko had serious health problems, had to be treated and finally lost after 74 minutes with 3:6 and 0:6.

For Barty, who celebrated her first ever victory on the WTA Tour this year with her triumph in Kuala Lumpur, her entry into the final of the last Premier 5 tournament of the year is her greatest career success.Regardless of the final outcome against either the Greek Maria Sakkari or Caroline Garcia, the 21-year-old Barty, who took a break of almost two years after the US Open, will be the world’s 26th best player for the first time.

In the quarter-finals Ashleigh Barty had beaten a top-5 player for the first time with Karolina Pliskova, followed by Agnieszka Radwanska, a lady who has been at home in these regions of the world rankings for years.

Here is the single panel in Wuhan