Barty, Bobusic book semi’s spot
Wednesday 9 January 2013 Be the first to comment »
Aussie duo Ashleigh Barty and Bojana Bobusic will advance to the semi-finals after defeating Nina Bratchikova and Janette Husarova in a close match at the Hobart Moorilla International this morning.
The match started with solid serving from Bobusic taking the opening game. The set continued on serve, with short-rallies and several cross court battles between Barty and Slovakia’s Husarova.
“It was tough conditions today and it wasn’t pretty but we got the win and did enough. I don’t see why we can’t go further,” Bobusic said post-match.
It was the first doubles tournament together for the Aussies but they weren’t unfamiliar with each other’s game after recently coming head-to-head at the Australian Open play-offs where Bobusic defeated second seed Barty and went on to gain a wildcard into the first Grand Slam of the year.
“It’s a little bit hard for me because I lost [at the play-offs]. When you go onto the singles court it is all business but once you come off you’re good mates again. It’s just another tennis match,” Barty said.
At 3-3 Bobusic displayed quick hands at the net to take the score to 40-30. Barty finished the game with a high-kicking second serve to bring the Australians to a 4-3 lead. At 5-4 Barty and Bobusic had the chance to break and take the first set but several unforced errors from Bobusic saw their opponents level the score 5-5. With a solid service game from Barty, the Australians found their momentum in the final stages of the first, holding and breaking ahead to take the set 7-5.
Bratchikova and Husarova came out powering in the second looking to get an early lead. They started on serve and broke the Aussies to advance 2-0. With quick net advances and cross-court strokes, Barty and Bobusic levelled the score 2-2.
“Boji [held] her serve at 2-2 in the second set to get up 3-2 again, that was a big game. At different stages we played well and it’s good that we mix well together and complement each other,” Barty added.
The Aussie’s fought point-to-point to match their opponents, finally getting the break at the end of the set and taking the match 7-5 to book a semi-final appearance.
By Rosie Jones
