World No.1 Ashleigh Barty ended Petra Martic’s remarkable run of 16 consecutive three-setters won by overcoming the Croatian on Thursday to reach the Wuhan Open semi-finals for the third time in as many years.
In a high-quality contest between two of the most skilful and cerebral players on tour, the French Open champion handed Martic her first three-set defeat since March, posting a 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 6-3 victory to set up a last-four showdown with either Aryna Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina.
The pair combined for an impressive 71 winners throughout the 2 hour 22 minute affair, but it was Barty who proved clinical when it mattered the most.
“I think it was a very high-quality match, the whole match. I’m really proud of the way that I fought back early in that third set and I was able to get momentum my way a little bit again,” said Barty, who is guaranteed at least one more week at the top of the rankings, thanks to the third-round exit of her closest rival Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday.
The 22nd-ranked Martic entered the match having won 92.6 per cent of her service games this week but dropped serve four times against Barty, who is now into her sixth semi-final of the season.
Barty battled back from early breaks in the first and third sets, and got the crucial break in the decider on a costly double fault from Martic.
The 23-year-old Australian secured the win with her seventh ace of the match, taking her season total to 335 – the third-highest tally on tour.