Birmingham: Osaka stunned, Barty eyes No.1

Naomi Osaka suffered a shock loss at the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham on Thursday, putting Ashleigh Barty in prime position to usurp the world No.1 ranking.

The top-ranked and top-seeded Osaka fell 6-2 6-3 to feisty Kazakh Yulia Putintseva in the second round.

Straight sets win ?
A place in the #NatureValleyClassic quarterfinals ?@PutintsevaYulia moves past Osaka, 6-2, 6-3. pic.twitter.com/R8J3ZoYIj2

— WTA (@WTA) June 20, 2019

“I think my baseline game was very consistent today, which was very fortunate for me. I’m happy with my level and how I played today,” said Putintseva, who has now won both career meetings with Osaka.

“She always plays great. We played last year (in Hobart in 2018) before she won so many titles, but you could still feel her level and how she plays with her shots, which are so heavy. The serve is very strong.

“From the last time we played, I remembered I had to be very focused on my game and strong from the baseline, run and get everything back.”

RANKINGS WATCH: Can Barty rise to No.1 on grass?

Osaka had to fall before the final to give second-ranked Barty a chance of claiming top spot, and she would need to win the title herself to do so.

And with the Japanese star now out of her path, Barty stands just three wins away from achieving the feat.

The Australian marched into the quarterfinals in Birmingham thanks to a comfortable 6-3 6-1 win over American Jennifer Brady.

???? @ashbar96's looking unstoppable at the #NatureValleyClassic ????

The #FrenchOpen Champion eased past Brady 6-3, 6-1 to setup a potential quarter-final clash with @Venuseswilliams ???? pic.twitter.com/QCdRKvARyn

— LTA (@the_LTA) June 20, 2019

Barty, a finalist at this event in 2017, showed no effects from a rain-interrupted encounter to brush aside Brady in just under an hour.

The victory was the French Open champion’s ninth win in a row and sets up a clash with five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams or China’s Wang Qiang, who meet later on Thursday.

American Brady has been in good form, reaching the semifinals in Nottingham last week, but she was no match for Barty.

“I felt really good out here today – I felt much better than I did my first round. And it’s really nice to come out here and play on this beautiful court again,” Barty said.

“It was important for me to try and nullify her serve as much as I could today, and I felt like I served well and looked after my own service games pretty well.”

Should Barty win the title and rise to No.1, she would become the first Australian woman at the summit since Evonne Goolagong in 1976.

Former world No.10 Julia Goerges also advanced on Thursday, seeing off Evgeniya Rodina 6-4 6-3 to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Putintseva.