AUSTRALIAN world number one, Ash Barty is through to the semi-finals after a win over Australian Open runner-up Garbine Muguruza, setting up an epic semi-final encounter with eighth seed, Petra Kvitova.

Barty won 6-1 6-7 6-2 in an hour and 53 minutes to make it through to the last four in an impressive win over the two-time Grand Slam winner. The Australian served up four aces and won 75.4 per cent of her first serve points to Muguruza’s 58.5 per cent. Barty also broke six times to two throughout the match, capitalising on the Spaniard’s second serve with a 56.5 per cent success rate. It continued Barty’s strong season since her title at Adelaide which included a semi-finals appearance at Melbourne Park, and now another final four appearance in Doha.

Barty takes on Kvitova in the semis after the Czech left hander defeated giant-killer, Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in two tiebreakers. Kvitova won the first tiebreaker 7-2 and the second, 7-4 on her way to the 7-6 7-6 victory in an hour and 44 minutes. In the other quarter finals results, Russian veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated fourth seed, Belinda Bencic – 12 years her junior – 6-4 6-4 to win through to the last four and face another rising talent in ninth seed Belarusian, Aryna Sabalenka who defeated Zheng Saisai 3-6 7-6 6-3. It took two hours and 20 minutes, the longest of any match, but Sabalenka successfully fought her way back from a set down to win.

Kuznetsova has already risen 14 spots up the WTA rankings into 32nd, with Sabalenka rising one spot to twelfth. Barty and Kvitova remain in first and eleventh respectively, though a Sabalenka win and a Kvitova loss in the semis would see the pair swap spots.

QUARTER FINALS RESULTS:

[1] Ash Barty (AUS) defeated [11] Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 6-1 6-7 6-2
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) defeated [4] Belinda Bencic (SUI) 6-4 6-4
[8] Petra Kvitova (CZE) defeated Ons Jabeur (TUN) 7-6 7-6
[9] Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) defeated Zheng Saisai (CHN) 4-6 7-6 6-3