MASON, Ohio (AP) — Top-ranked Ash Barty will make her first Western & Southern final appearance on Sunday.
So will Andrey Rublev.
The seventh-ranked Rublev came from behind to upset No. 2 and top-seeded Daniil Medvedev, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in Saturday’s first men’s semifinal.
The 25-year-old Barty used a strong service game to survive a challenge from No. 22 Angelique Kerber and reach the women’s final with a 6-2, 7-5 semifinal win, also on Saturday.
Medvedev, the 2019 champion and 2020 runnerup to Novak Djokovic, overcame a run-in with a television camera, but he couldn’t get past his fellow Russian. Rublev won for the first time in five meetings with Medvedev and on Sunday will meet the winner of the match between second-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas and third-seeded Alexander Zverev.
Medvedev ran into a courtside camera while chasing down a shot in the third game of the second set. The right-hander then kicked the camera before being treated for an injury to his left hand during the changeover.
He also received treatment on his right forearm before the sixth game of the third set.
Barty ripped 12 aces to the 33-year-old Kerber’s one while double-faulting just once to three by Kerber.
“I think I did a pretty good job with my service games,” Barty said. “I served well and got some cheap points. Angie is a hell of a returner, one of the best in the game, and I wanted to take that away.”
“She has so much confidence right now,” Kerber said of Barty. “She plays so well. Her serve is good. It’s a big weapon from her, and she’s playing tricky as well. She knows where to put the ball and how to play the moment. That’s why she is where she is.”
Kerber will face the winner of Saturday’s second semifinal between fifth-seeded Karolina Pliskova and wild-card Jil Teichmann on Sunday.
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