There is a sense of déjà vu in the air around the grass courts of Nottingham as Ashleigh Barty and Karolina Pliskova are set for a rematch of their 2012 semifinal encounter. Pliskova saw off Anna Tatishvili 6-1 6-3 whilst qualifier Barty defeated Andrea Hlavackova 6-0 4-6 6-4 to set up a quarterfinal meeting between the pair at the WTA AEGON Open.
Their pair have met on only one previous occasion but it was on centre court here in Nottingham where the two fresh-faced youngsters locked rackets in the semifinals of what was a 50K ITF tournament at the time. It was a tale of teenage tenacity as the 16-year-old Barty managed to upset 20-year-old Pliskova by the finest of margins – winning the third set tie-break 8-6. Taking confidence from that victory, Barty then went on to win her first–and currently only – 50K singles title of her career.
Ashleigh Barty and Karolina Pliskova set for Rematch of Nottingham Classic
When asked how much she remembered of their last encounter, Barty gave a brief but refreshingly honest two word answer – “very little”. She went on to say “I don’t think you can really take much from a match that was four years ago when I was sixteen. I’m a bit of a different person, different player now so we’re just going out there, start fresh.
“Obviously Karolina is a quality player and had a fantastic two years so its going to be a really tough challenge but (I’m) looking forward to it.”
It may have been the Australian that took the spoils four years ago but it is Pliskova who lingers menacingly in the top #20. In 2014, Pliskova made her big breakthrough when she stormed into the top 50 before ending the year #23. In the last four years she has collected four WTA titles as well as reaching the final of last year’s Premier Mandatory in Dubai – where she lost to Simona Halep.
“Nothing forced me back into playing tennis by any means, I just felt like it was the right time and it was completely my decision”.
After collecting her Nottingham title and peaking at #129 in the world at singles, Ashleigh Barty turned her attention to tennis’ underappreciated format – doubles. It became her main priority as she reached three Grand Slam doubles finals alongside Casey Dellacqua – losing them all. As the doubles success faded in 2014 things began to unravel on both fronts and in September of that year she announced she was taking an indefinite break from tennis.
She reappeared in the sporting spotlight wielding a bat rather than a racket as she declared that she was going to be embarking on a career in cricket. After a successful season competing in the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League she had another change of heart and, in February this year, returned to the tennis circuit.
“I really enjoyed my 18 months at home and met some really nice people through cricket and it was a fantastic experience really,” Ashleigh Barty said after her second round victory over Andrea Hlavackova in Nottingham on Thursday.
“Nothing forced me back into playing tennis by any means, I just felt like it was the right time and it was completely my decision”.
What an inspired decision it has turned out to be. After a few months getting back into the swing of things with some doubles tournaments in her home country, the 20-year-old boarded a plane to the UK for grass season. After coming through three rounds of qualifying in Eastbourne, Barty then defied all expectations and reached the semifinals, where she lost in two close sets to eventual champion Alison Riske. The former Wimbledon girls champion then headed to Nottingham for her first crack at a WTA Tour event since Birmingham exactly two years ago.
“I love it here”, Barty stated when asked about her long-awaited return to the City. “I have great memories from Nottingham. Obviously when it was a 50 [50K ITF Tournament] I had success in singles and doubles so it’s a great city and I love it here and when we saw it was a WTA event and that I had the opportunity to play we grabbed it with both hands.”
With both hands firmly grasped on her racket she navigated her way through three rounds of qualifying to make the main draw for the second consecutive week. With only a handful of matches under her belt she saw off Shuai Peng in the first round 6-3 6-2. That was then followed up with a superb 6-0 4-6 6-4 victory over Andrea Hlavackova to move into only her second career WTA Tour quarter-final.
“I love it here. I have great memories from Nottingham.”
Speaking after her second round victory, the Australian said, “It’s a positive just to be moving on in the tournament and getting the opportunity to play some more matches. Leading up to any Slam in particular it’s good to play some matches on the surface that you’re playing on and for me it’s just exciting to be out there playing again.”
“It’s nice to know that I can still play at this level. It was maybe going to be a bit touch and go in the beginning but it’s nice to be straight off the bat and back into it.”
“We didn’t expect by any means to be coming here and be 11-1 [win/loss ratio], quarterfinals of a WTA second week in. We thought we were going to be just nice to get through a few matches but it’s definitely nice to throw it together.”
It is remarkable that in the four years since Ashleigh Barty and Karolina Pliskova last met, the narrative has barely changed. Four years ago the Czech was the favourite, but was faced with the challenge of a young and tenacious Australian who had already defied the odds in how far she had progressed. Fast forward to present day and the script bears a striking resemblance. The only question now, is whether the story will have the same ending.
Karolina Pliskova vs Ashleigh Barty is second on Centre Court at the WTA Nottingham Open on Friday.
