Muguruza stops Barty in Toronto

Toronto, ON, Canada, 11 August 2017 | Reuters

Australia’s Ash Barty recovered from the worst possible start but eventually succumbed to Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

The 21-year-old Barty lost 6-0 3-6 6-2 to the Spaniard in Thursday’s third-round clash after conceding the first set in 21 minutes.

Barty had won four matches on the trot in Toronto after coming through two rounds of qualifying and is now projected to rise to world No.48 when the new WTA rankings are released on Monday.

Barty switched on in the second set to break her world No.4 opponent in the fourth and sixth games in between being broken herself.

But she fell away in the decider, winning only 20 per cent of points on her second serve as Muguruza converted all three break points on offer.

Barty, ranked 58th in the world, had beaten Muguruza in their last encounter on grass in Birmingham in June.

But Muguruza soon found form to claim her first Wimbledon title last month after beating Venus Williams in the final.

She will play Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals after the fifth-seeded Ukranian’s 6-2 6-1 defeat of Williams.