Barty calf injury ‘better than expected’ heading to China Open

World number one Ashleigh Barty is optimistic a calf injury that hindered her at the Wuhan Open will not be a problem going forward as she prepares for her second-round match at the China Open.

Barty lost in the last four of the Premier 5 tournament to Aryna Sabalenka, who went on to defend her title, and required treatment on her left calf.

The French Open champion has a bye through the first round in Beijing but has not yet taken to the practice court.

However, with the final Premier Mandatory tournament of the season this week and the WTA Finals a month away, Barty is positive about her fitness.

“I haven’t been on court yet since my match in Wuhan,” she told reporters. “Everything is moving better than expected, so it’s good.

“It’s just about making sure we do the right things and give it a chance to be ready to go.”

Thank you Wuhan. Until next time pic.twitter.com/wFQ3pLgwpH

— Ash Barty (@ashbar96) September 28, 2019

Explaining the problem on Friday, Barty had said: “I felt like I had to protect it a little bit. It’s important at this time of the year to listen to your body.

“There were certain things I wasn’t able to do.”