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Ash Barty looks to extend gap in race for year-end No. 1 at China Open

With Karolina Pliskova and Simona Halep both going out early, the Australian has an opportunity to further pad her lead in Beijing when she meets Petra Kvitova on Friday.

ByMatt Cronin

Published Oct 03, 2019

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Ashleigh Barty isn't shying away from her goal of keeping the No. 1 ranking for the rest of this season, and she owns a solid lead as the season-ending WTA Finals approaches.

The Australian, who will play in the quarterfinals of Beijing on Friday against Petra Kvitova, currently holds a more than 600-point lead on No. 2 Karolina Pliskova, who fell in the first round.

"I mean, for me to be in this position now is incredible. I feel like I'm working hard every single day to try to do the right things to try and stay in that position," said Barty, speaking to press at Beijing.

The top ranking has changed hands several times on the WTA tour recently, so Barty is even keener to keep her spot.

"There have been many players that have stood up on the biggest occasions and have taken their opportunities,'' she said

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That's in contrast to her Porsche Race to Shenzhen rivals Pliskova and No. 3 Simona Halep, who both say the top spot is not currently their biggest goal. Halep, who has been hampered by a back injury, says she's aiming to win titles while Pliskova just wants to play at a high level.

"So that's my goal for now... I'm not going to push to be No. 1," Pliskova said, having achieved the top ranking previously in her career.

Barty can clinch No. 1 during the WTA Finals, which will debut in Shenzhen later this month. The 22-year-old has never played the WTA Finals before in singles, but has qualified for the event in doubles and in 2018, won the singles at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai.

“Every week there are different challenges. I think having not played here a lot before, it's a bit of a new, refreshing challenge,” Barty said. “It's all new to me. It's all for the first time. I just take it in my stride and try to do the best that I can every day. The most important thing, is that I've given myself a chance now to play another match and to test myself again to see where I'm at.”

Barty won the first Grand Slam title of her career at the French Open before reaching the top spot in the rankings.

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