A compelling women’s semifinals lineup takes to the court on Thursday with plenty at stake for all four players.
Here’s a close look at the women’s last-four match-ups.
Ashleigh Barty (AUS) [1] v Sofia Kenin (USA) [14]
The narrative
Barty enters the semifinals carrying a nine-match winning streak and looking to become the first Australian – man or woman – since Chris O’Neil in 1978 to win the Australian Open singles title.
She has all eyes on her as the world No.1 and the home favourite, but has been handling it all in remarkable fashion.
“I don't pay attention to it, honestly, said the Queenslander, who is in the semis at Melbourne Park for the first time in her career.
“I'm here to try and do the best that I can. Obviously it's exciting. Hopefully I can bring a smile to a few faces around our country and around the world. For me, it's trying to do the best that I can, find that enjoyment for myself and my team.”
Barty has won five titles in the past 10 months, including a maiden Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros. She became the first Australian woman to end a season as the world No.1 and extends her reign at the top this fortnight to 28 weeks. The Young Australian of the Year award winner is gunning for a second major title, which would further cement her place in the record books at the tender age of 23.
Kenin, her 21-year-old opponent, is playing her first Grand Slam semifinal. The No.14 seed is backing up her breakthrough 2019 nicely with this Australian Open run. The Russian-born American won three WTA titles last year, and reached the fourth round at Roland Garros, taking out Serena Williams along the way.
Kenin is bidding to become the youngest woman to reach an Australian Open final since Ivanovic was runner-up in 2008. She is also looking to become the first American other than the Williams sisters to reach the final in Melbourne since Lindsay Davenport in 2005.
Head-to-head
Barty leads Kenin 4-1 in previous meetings. They squared off four times in 2019, with Kenin scoring her sole victory over the Australian in Toronto last August. Barty ended Kenin’s run at Roland Garros last year in the fourth round.
Game styles
Barty’s serve is one of the best in the game, and it’s no surprise she has struck the second-most aces among all the women so far this tournament, hitting 29 through five matches. She has won 76 per cent of her first-serve points and 80 per cent of her service games. Barty’s variety is also one of her greatest strengths. Her high tennis IQ, combined with her incredible feel, makes her one of the most enjoyable players to watch, according to many of her peers. Her slice and net play often separate her from the rest of the field.
Kenin is one of the toughest competitors on tour, and can be described as an aggressive counterpuncher. Like Barty, she moves well on court and uses her angles to great effect.
“I'm very aggressive. I like to dictate and control the points. Strengths, I can't give you all because they're going to use it against me. Yeah, I guess I could just say aggressive, the fight in me. I've had that. Yeah, I'm going to keep having that,” she explains.
Kenin has been solid on serve this fortnight, winning 85 per cent of her service games.
AO 2020
Barty has taken down seeds No.29, No.18 and No.7 en route to the semis, with the average ranking of her opponents being 44. She has dropped two sets along the way, to Alison Riske in the fourth round and to Lesia Tsurenko in her opener. Kenin has navigated a list of opponents with an average ranking of 95. The American dropped one set through five matches, against 15-year-old sensation Coco Gauff in the fourth round.
Simona Halep (ROU) [4] v Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
The narrative
The last time Muguruza featured in a Grand Slam semifinal was against Halep at Roland Garros in 2018. Halep defeated the Spaniard in straight sets, and went on to lift her maiden major title a couple of days later.
Halep and Muguruza have each won two Grand Slams (both won Wimbledon and Roland Garros). They’ve both been ranked No.1 in the world, but their careers have followed very different trajectories.
Halep, who at 28 is two years older than Muguruza, has been a model of consistency. Since she cracked the top 10 for the first time after the Australian Open in 2014, Halep has not dropped out of it. The Romanian has spent a total of 64 weeks at the world No.1 spot, and finished back-to-back seasons (2017, 2018) at the summit. She is bidding to win a major for a third successive year.
“It's different in my mind. It's not easier at all. You still feel the pressure. You still feel the heaviness of this tournament. I just feel more confident and I feel like I'm able to do it. It's just a feeling that you don't see this trophy is impossible anymore. This is what I'm feeling about the Grand Slams now,” said Halep.
Muguruza’s career on the other hand has been a series of incredible highs and some tough lows. The Venezuelan-born Spaniard broke the top 10 after reaching the Wimbledon final in 2015, and dropped out midway through 2017 before winning Wimbledon to re-enter. She spent four weeks as world No.1 towards the tail-end of that season, but fell out of the top 30 last year and is unseeded this fortnight in Melbourne.
“I think it's very hard,” Muguruza says of winning Slams. “I think people forget how hard it is, and expect always the top players to deal with that. It is very hard. I think once you have done it, it definitely gives you a certain confidence that you can handle two weeks' competition, Grand Slam, playing many matches. Not a lot of people can say that they have done it. In my case, I know it's where I feel the most motivated. I just don't think too much about it. I'm just happy to be here, excited to see how far I can go.”
This Australian Open, Halep is going for a 20th career title, Muguruza is going for an eighth.
For Halep, success this tournament would solidify her place among the game’s elite. For Muguruza, a title tilt here would help her get closer to the top 10 – a place where many agree she belongs.
Head-to-head
Muguruza leads Halep 3-2 in career meetings, but the No.4 seed was victorious in their most recent showdown. Muguruza rules their hard-court history though, with three wins from three encounters on the surface against Halep.
Game styles
Muguruza hits big and has been particularly aggressive so far this tournament. Her ace tally of 23 is the fifth-highest among all women in the singles draw here at Melbourne Park through five matches, and her 76 per cent success rate on the first serve is the second-highest (tied with Barty). The 26-year-old has hit 125 winners against 109 unforced errors so far.
She has the best record at the net among the four semi-finalists, winning 58/73 (79 per cent) net points so far. Halep is 25/47 (53 per cent) in that category in comparison.
Halep’s aggression is often underrated because she doesn’t hit as big a ball as some of the other players on tour. But the Romanian is one of the best movers on the circuit and takes the ball early, which steals time away from her opponents. She is particularly dangerous when pulled out wide on either wing. She has won 72 per cent of her first-serve points this fortnight, struck 13 aces, and fired 93 winners against 79 unforced errors.
“The serve, it's been very important here during this tournament. I feel confident when I serve. I'm not scared anymore,” said Halep on Wednesday.
AO 2020
Muguruza started this Australian Open suffering from a viral illness that ruled out of the Hobart semifinals a few days before the tournament began. She had to battle through two three-setters in her opening rounds before hitting her stride, taking out No.5 seed Elina Svitolina, No.9 seed Kiki Bertens, and No.30 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets. The average ranking of Muguruza’s opponents through five rounds is 50. She is through to the semifinals in Melbourne for the first time in her career, on her eighth appearance.
Halep hasn’t dropped a set en route to the last-four stage and was in devastating form in her 6-1 6-1 dismissal of Anett Kontaveit in the quarterfinals. The average ranking of her opponents is 62. She is through to the Australian Open semis for the second time in three years, and was a runner-up here in 2018.