US Open 2019: Barty beats brave Davis
Second seed Ashleigh Barty was pushed in a hard-fought 6-2 7-6 (7-2) victory at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday.
Ashleigh Barty moved through to the US Open third round after outlasting Lauren Davis in straight sets in New York.
French Open winner Barty – the second seed – was pushed in a hard-fought 6-2 7-6 (7-2) victory at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday.
Barty rallied from 4-2 down in the second set before prevailing in a tie-break to set up a clash with either 30th seed Maria Sakkari or Peng Shuai in round three.
The Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd was treated to a high-quality affair as Barty and Davis went toe-to-toe under the lights – the baseline rallies tense and fierce.
Davis broke back immediately after falling 2-0 behind early, however the American – with her left leg heavily strapped – was unable to fend off a fourth break point in the fourth game as she eventually found herself 4-1 down.
First set to Barty @ashbar96 capitalizes on some big shots and takes the set 6-2 over Davis…#USOpen pic.twitter.com/IoLSpBGQ5B
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 29, 2019
Barty wrapped up the 47-minute first set on the racquet of Davis, who – while only having one more unforced error than the former – managed just three winners compared to 13.
Davis refused to be overawed in the second set, with the 25-year-old’s continued aggression helping her keep pace before breaking and consolidating for a 4-2 advantage.
Barty was kept pressed behind the baseline in the sixth game as she hit the net on three occasions – wasting a pair of break points.
Davis played well in the second set and while she failed to serve it out at 5-4 as Barty won four of six games, she saved three match points to force a tie-break.
However, that was as good as it got for Davis, who was unable to maintain her charge as she was swept aside in the tie-break.
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Ashleigh Barty [2] bt Lauren Davis 6-2 7-6 (7-2)
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Barty – 35/39
Davis – 13/34
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Barty – 8/2
Davis – 1/6
BREAK POINTS WON
Barty – 4/18
Davis – 2/3
FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE
Barty – 54
Davis – 63
PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE
Barty – 76/52
Davis – 54/47
TOTAL POINTS
Barty – 94
Davis – 77
