Barty eases into Aust Open second round

Ashleigh Barty has made a flying start to her Australian Open, defeating Thailand's Luksika Kumkhum in straight sets.

Ashleigh Barty of Australia in action

Ashleigh Barty has won her first round match at the Australian Open. (AAP)

Top Australian hope Ashleigh Barty has continued a green and gold day to remember at Melbourne Park, routing Luksika Kumkhum to move into the second round.

Barty, the 15th seed, defeated her Thai opponent 6-2 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena to set up a date with China's Yafan Wang on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old was one of at least seven Australians to triumph at Melbourne Park on Monday, taking just 58 minutes to progress.

But it didn't start so easily for the Queenslander, who shocked a patriotic crowd by dumping her opening service game to go 0-2 down.

But her response was swift and emphatic, racing through the next six games for the loss of just nine points to claim the set.

Barty's all-action game quickly kicked into full swing.

She won plenty of points at the net and found her rhythm from the baseline.

Having claimed a decisive break in the second set's fifth game, Barty charged on to finish her first-up assignment in less than an hour.

Despite her lead-up form - she played five matches at the Sydney International last week, finishing runner-up to two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova - Barty confessed to having pre-match nerves.

"We've split the last times we've played so I knew I had to be ready," she said.

"We're always edgy to start competing."

Barty is rated by bookmakers as one of the top five chances to win the tournament, which would make her the first Australian to lift the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup since Chris O'Neil 41 years ago.

Barty said she wouldn't be looking past her next game.

"I want to make sure for myself I prepare well so I can come out here and play with freedom and hopefully win a few matches," she said.

"There's a very very long way to go.

"I'll think 'why not me' on Wednesday and then we'll go from there."

Barty joined wildcards Zoe Hives, Kim Birrell, qualifier Astra Sharma and men Alex de Minaur, Jordan Thompson and Matt Ebden as day one Aussie winners at Melbourne Park.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world