Barty cracks top 10 with Kvitova win
Australian tennis star Ashleigh Barty made it into the world's top 10 for the first time with a 7-6, 3-6, 6-2 win over Petra Kvitova in the Miami Open quarter-finals.
Australian Open runner-up and Czech third seed Kvitova lost 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 6-2 to Barty in an entertaining late-night clash in Miami.
Kvitova needed to reach the final of the Premier Mandatory tournament to have a chance of replacing Naomi Osaka as the WTA's top-ranked player.
However, the Czech was upstaged by the Australian 12th seed, who claimed her first career win over the opponent as she confirmed her rise into the top 10.
Barty – blitzed by Kvitova in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January – overcame a two-hour rain delay to set up a semi-final showdown with Anett Kontaveit at the Miami Open.
Kontaveit emerged from the jaws of defeat to advance to her first Premier Mandatory semi-final at the expense of Hsieh Su-wei.
Down 4-0 and 5-3 in the final set, 21st seed Kontaveit rallied to win 3-6 6-2 7-5 in the day's earlier match.
Hsieh won 16 of the first 19 points of the deciding set – including 12 in succession – as she raced out to a commanding four-game lead, but Kontaveit surged back to claim a final-four berth.
