Barty ready to face Naomi Osaka, Kvitova and Bencic in tough group in Shenzhen

The WTA finals will be played in Shenzhen from October 27^th to November 3^rd. The tournament will feature eight of the best singles tennis players of the year competing for the Billie Jean King Trophy. Among the eight players, there is the current world number one, Ashleigh Barty. The Australian has had a spectacular year and will look to end her season with a victory in the finals.

Barty’s performance in 2019

Barty has won three WTA titles in 2019. Among the titles was her first Grand Slam title at the French Open in June. The 23-year-old also won titles in Miami and Birmingham. The Australian achieved the number one ranking after her victory at Roland Garros. She also leads the players in earnings for the year. Barty has earned over six million dollars in prize money for the year. She has defended her number one ranking in the last few months and will end the year as world number one if she has a good tournament in Shenzhen.

Ashleigh’s rivalry with Naomi Osaka

Barty was among the first players to qualify for the WTA Finals. The Australian will play in a difficult group. She will face Naomi Osaka, Belinda Bencic, and Petra Kvitova in the Red Group. Barty clashed with Osaka this month in the final of the China Open. She lost to the Japanese star in a close match. The two players have an even 2-2 record in matches played over their careers. The Australian also replaced Osaka at the top of the rankings after the Japanese player struggled soon after winning the Australian Open. Another tough opponent for Barty at the finals will be Kvitova. The 29-year-old won the title in 2011. She has also defeated Barty in four of the six matches they have played against each other. Ashleigh and Bencic will play each other for the first time in Shenzhen. Belinda is making her debut in the finals tournament.

While Barty’s road to victory will be difficult, the Australian won the Porsche Race to Shenzhen. The competition aimed to award the player who would enter the tournament as number one with a Porsche. The tournament organizers declared the Australian as the winner during the draw for the tournament. Players will play each other in a round-robin format in their groups. The other group at the tournament is the Purple group. It will feature Karolina Pliskova, Bianca Andreescu, Simona Halep, and the defending champion Elina Svitolina.

Ashleigh Barty’s ranking and performance in 2019

Currently the world no.1, the Australian played her last match on the 6^th of October when she was defeated by Naomi Osaka 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the final in Beijing.

This year Barty has a 48-11 win-loss record. Ashleigh conquered 3 titles in 2019 in Miami, at the French Open and in Birmingham. Barty was the finalist in Sydney and in Beijing.

Naomi Osaka’s ranking and performance in 2019

Ranked no.3, Naomi played her last match on the 6^th of October when she beat Ashleigh Barty 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the final in Beijing to win her 5^th career title.

This year the Japanese has a 39-11 win-loss record. Osaka conquered 3 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Osaka and in Beijing.

Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka played each other 4 times. The head to head is 2-2.

The last time that they played each other, Naomi Osaka won 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the final in Beijing in 06^th October 2019.

Here the highlights.