New Tennis no 1 Ashleigh Barty was at Lord’s on Tuesday, 25 June, to watch the World Cup match between arch-rivals Australia and England. Barry, who has played cricket for Australia, was watching the match from the packed stands as Australia made its way back at no 1 standings overtaking New Zealand.
She tweeted, “Unbelievable day at Lords… Thank you Finchy and JL for inviting us and putting on a clinic!! What a venue (sic)”
Cricket Australia also tweeted, saying, “After Australia knocked off the No.1 ODI team in the world, who better to help celebrate than the world's new No.1 female tennis player, @ashbar96!”
Australia smothered top-ranked England by 64 runs at Lord's on Tuesday and ratcheted up the pressure on the home side to join the defending champion in the Cricket World Cup semifinals.
First into the playoffs, the Australians successfully defended a total for the fourth consecutive match, making 285-7 stand tall by bowling out England for 221 with 5.2 overs to spare. Inspired recall Jason Behrendorff claimed a maiden 5-for while fellow left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc grabbed four to lead the tournament wickets list with 19.
Barty Becomes World No 1
Fresh off the heels of her French Open victory earlier this month, young Australian tennis star Ash Barty officially claimed the women's world number one ranking on Monday, 24 June, overthrowing Japan's Naomi Osaka with a tournament win at the Birmingham Classic in England.
It's the first time an Australian woman has held the top sport since seven-time Grand Slam champion Goolagong Cawley in 1976, reports Xinhua news agency.
While the 23-year-old told reporters after the Birmingham Classic, "I'm nowhere near her status ... to be mentioned in the same sentence is incredible," Barty has had a stellar start to 2019, recording an impressive 36 match victories and only six defeats.
(With inputs from AP, IANS)
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