Sep 1, 2019; Flushing, NY, USA; Ashleigh Barty of Australia talks to her player’s box against Qiang Wang of China (not pictured) in the fourth round on day seven of the 2019 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Second seed Ash Barty’s U.S. Open bid came crashing down when she lost 6-2 6-4 to China’s Wang Qiang in the fourth round on Sunday.
Wang had never taken a set off the former world number one in two previous matches and looked to be in trouble after Australian Barty started with a dominant performance on serve.
But 18th seed Wang kept her composure and took advantage of 25 more unforced errors by Barty to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
The 27-year-old will next face either Serena Williams or Petra Marci, who play their fourth-round match later on Sunday.
Reporting by Rory Carroll, editing by Ed Osmond