Ipswich tennis ace Ash Barty will return home with her world number 1 ranking intact.
Despite last night’s upset loss to American grass court specialist Alison Riske, Barty will remain the WTA’s top-ranked player ahead of Naomi Osaka who lost in the first round.
Other potential threats, Czechs Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova also suffered exits from the Wimbledon round of 16 last night, and Dutch player Kiki Bertens exited the round of 32.
No other players – even if they win – can surpass Barty.
“I didn’t win a tennis match,” Barty said after her loss.
“It’s not the end of the world.”
Her relaxed demeanour on and off the court is winning our home-grown hero admirers the world over, regularly compared with tennis nice guy Roger Federer.
“I’m so proud of myself and my team over the last six to eight weeks,” she said at a post-game press conference.
“We’ve had an incredible trip, incredible couple of months.”
Barty’s first coach Jim Joyce has been given plenty of air time, sitting at the front of the coach’s box for each match of Wimbledon.
Since returning to tennis after a two-year stint playing cricket, Barty’s support team has been intent to avoid the loneliness she suffered on tour as a teenager.
After the results at Wimbledon, Barty is in a good spot to retain her ranking heading into the US Open at Flushing Meadows, starting August 26.
Lead up tournaments, the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the Cincinnati Masters have 1000 and 900 ranking points available to the winner.
Barty made the semi-final in Toronto last year and was eliminated in the round of 16 at Cincinnati.
Regardless, she will become the first Australian in the Open era to hold the women’s top ranking for more than a month, following her win at Birmingham in June.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley won seven grand slam singles titles among her 86 career tournament victories (in the open era).
However, she was only ever ranked Number 1 in the world for a two-week period in April 1976.
