Data and insights powered by Infosys
Ash Barty’s fourth-round meeting with Alison Riske at Australian Open 2020 represented something of a banana-skin match for the top seed.
Here she was, facing an opponent who had beaten her in both of their previous meetings – including at the same stage of Wimbledon six months ago.
At the All England Club last year, Barty won the first set before Riske ground her down in three sets. And their encounter looked to be following a similar pattern at Rod Laver Arena when Barty won the opening set, only for the No.18 seed to rebound in the second.
However, Barty, known for her versatility and impressive tennis IQ, was more prepared for the challenges that Riske brought to the court this time around.
According to Infosys data, when compared to her match against Riske at Wimbledon, Barty elevated her performance in several statistical areas at Rod Laver Arena – and was rewarded.
Barty’s first serve percentage rose from 51 per cent to 65 per cent, an important increase given that, when she has been landing her first serves at Melbourne Park this year, she’s been consistently winning close to 80 per cent of points.
Yet the rise in first-serve percentage wasn’t a happy coincidence for the Australian. She made a concerted effort to land more first serves by reducing her average speed from 167km/h at Wimbledon to 160km/h in Melbourne.
Barty used net rushing tactics considerably less against Riske this time around – a wise decision given she went 8/16 on net points during her Wimbledon loss. Instead, she approached the just five times in Melbourne, but won 60 per cent of the points.
This allowed the Australian to work more points from the baseline, and she cleaned up her backhand – arguably her most effective, versatile shot – in the process.
At Wimbledon, 67 per cent of her groundstroke errors came from the backhand wing. Against Riske on Sunday, that figure had dropped to 30 per cent.
Granted, that meant an increased percentage of forehand errors committed. But when Barty’s slice is clicking – helping her construct points, change pace and disrupt rhythm – it operates as something of a barometer for her success.
Barty went on to beat Riske 6-3 1-6 6-4, in the third set improving her first-serve winning percentage to an incredible 94 per cent.
And the result saw her set up a quarterfinal rematch with two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
The powerful Czech routed Barty in that 2019 match 6-1 6-4 to take her head-to-head record over the Australian to an imposing 4-0. Yet since then, Barty has won their next three meetings to close that gap.
“I've played Petra a few more times (since that AO2019 quarterfinal loss). Tactically the last few times we've played Petra, we've had a small, small adjustment, small change,” Barty said.
“It's never an easy match. I think maybe all but one have gone to three sets.
“I think I'm looking forward to another battle against a quality opponent.”
Just like against Riske, Barty’s performances against Kvitova have shown she learns significantly from her defeats.
And this ability stands her in good stead at Melbourne Park as she continues her quest for the title at Australian Open 2020.