Cincinnati, USA, 21 August 2021 | Leigh Rogers

Ash Barty continues to build impressive momentum at the Western & Southern Open, where today she dispatched reigning Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova in the quarterfinals.

The Australian recorded a 6-2 6-4 win against the world No.10-ranked Czech player, firing seven aces and losing only 14 points in her service games.

“I feel like I did a good job looking after my own serves,” said Barty. “For all but one service game, I felt like a lot of the time I was in control.”

Yet to drop a set all week 💯

🇦🇺 @ashbarty moves on to the Cincinnati semifinals after beating fellow Slam champ Krejcikova!#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/xsEpWsvClS

— wta (@WTA) August 20, 2021

Krejcikova showed fight to build a 4-2 lead in the second set, but the world No.1 then reeled off four consecutive games to seal victory after 71 minutes on court.

The proud Queenslander thrived in the humid conditions in Cincinnati.

“It was just like a Brisbane summer day,” Barty said. “The heat’s certainly not a problem for me.”

Enjoy the grind….and the sunshine ☀️🎾💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/xQOsiyvYrA

— Ash Barty (@ashbarty) August 20, 2021

Barty moves into her sixth semifinal of 2021 and improves her season win-loss record against top 10-ranked opponents to 6-1.

Another Grand Slam champion awaits in the semifinals – world No.22 Angelique Kerber. It is a rematch of their Wimbledon semifinals last month.

“Angie’s one of the best competitors in the world. She knows how to play big tournaments, knows how to play big matches,” Barty said of the former world No.1-ranked German.

“She’s confident, she’s aggressive. She’s able to run and to move and put the ball in tricky spots, to not let you dictate too much. That’s the challenge when you play her.”

Sam Stosur and China’s Zhang Shuai won two matches today to earn their place in the women’s doubles final.

> READ: Stosur advances to Cincinnati doubles final

It is 37-year-old Stosur’s best tour-level result in women’s doubles since March 2019, when she made the Miami final alongside Zhang.

In men’s doubles action, second seeds Marcel Granollers of Spain and Argentine Horacio Zeballos ended the winning run of Alex de Minaur and Brit Cameron Norrie.

De Minaur had been the defending champion, having claimed last year’s title with Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.

Aussies in action – Cincinnati

TODAY’S RESULTS
Women’s singles, quarterfinals
[1] Ash Barty (AUS) d [9] Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) 6-2 6-4

Women’s doubles, quarterfinals
Sam Stosur (AUS)/Zhang Shuai (CHN) d [4] Nicole Melichar (USA)/Demi Schuurs (NED) 6-3 6-7(5) [10-4]

Women’s doubles, semifinals
Sam Stosur (AUS)/Zhang Shuai (CHN) d Anna Blinkova (RUS)/Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 4-6 7-5 [10-5]

Men’s doubles, quarterfinals
[2] Marcel Granollers (ESP)/Horacio Zeballos (ARG) d Alex de Minaur (AUS)/Cameron Norrie (GBR) 6-3 6-4

COMING UP
Women’s singles, semifinals
[1] Ash Barty (AUS) v Angelique Kerber (GER)

Women’s doubles, final
Sam Stosur (AUS)/Zhang Shuai (CHN) v [6] Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN)/Luisa Stefani (BRA)