Ash Barty with a great chance to win her maiden Grand Slam title as big names fall in Paris

Ask Ash Barty and she would give a modest answer that every opponent is as dangerous as the next, but on paper, with some big names falling early in Paris, this really could be her title to lose.

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 01: Ashleigh Barty of Australia celebrates victory during her ladies singles third round match against Andrea Petkovic of Germany during Day seven of the 2019 French Open at Roland Garros on June 01, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Ashleigh Barty is on full alert ahead of a fourth-round French Open with Sofia Kenin, declaring the American firebrand as dangerous as Serena Williams.

Increasingly viewed as a leading title contender, Barty refuses to be distracted by speculation she is ready to win a major after Kenin’s shock 6-2 7-5 elimination of 10th seed Williams.

“You can only play who's on the other side of the net,” Barty said after world No 35 Kenin nailed Williams.

“There's so much talk around the draws when they come out, and so much changes every single day.

“So I think you have to take absolutely nothing away from Sofia.

“She's played an incredible match, obviously, to beat a world-class champion.

“And the challenge will be just as great coming from her as it would have been if it was Serena.”

Ashleigh Barty of Australia celebrates victory

Barty is undefeated against Kenin, having toppled the American twice.

But she has tremendous respect for the young power merchant.

“Sonya is an incredible competitor. She really is,” Barty said.

“I got a little bit of a taste of that at Fed Cup earlier this year.

“And she certainly respects every opponent but doesn't play their reputation. “She plays them just on the other side of the net, and that's one of her best attributes.

“So I think it's going to be an extremely tough match come Monday.

“And regardless who's on that other side of the net, as I've been saying over the past few months, it's about me trying to prepare and doing the best I can and trying to execute as best I can on the day.”

Barty improved her seasonal haul to 29 wins from 34 matches with a clinical 6-3 6-1 demolition of Germany’s former world No 9 Andrea Petkovic.

Her mindset, improved strength and conditioning have allowed her to consistently uncork the most mesmerising tennis on tour.

Ashleigh Barty is one of the highest ranking players left.

“I've been able to win some matches in business-like fashion, but they're certainly not easy matches, that's for sure,” she said.

“I feel like I'm playing well and being able to execute to make the score lines look a little easier than the match actually is.”

Bidding to become the first Australian woman since Margaret Court in 1973 to triumph here, Barty refuses to look beyond Kenin.

“Yeah, I think for me it's easy not to look ahead. Obviously there's talk and it's unavoidable to hear what else is happening around the draw,” she said.

“But for me, I can't control any of that. I can't control what other girls are doing.

“I can only control, you know, how I prepare, how I play, and ultimately how we go about my next match.”

Defending champion and third seed Simona Halep is the only player seeded higher than Barty in the top half of the draw.

The last Australian woman to lift the singles crown here was Margaret Court in 1973.

OSAKA: LOSING IS A GODSEND

Leo Schlink

FAR from wallowing in Roland Garros misery, Naomi Osaka has declared third-round French Open failure a Godsend.

The quirky world No 1 has clearly struggled with pressure after lifting both the US and Australian Opens as public and peerexpectation intensified.

While bruised by a 6-4 6-2 loss Czech world No 42 Katerina Siniakova, Osaka reprised her refreshing habit of being totallycandid - regardless of interpretation or consequence.

“You know, it’s weird, but I think me losing is probably the best thing that could have happened,” she said.

“I think I was overthinking this, like, calendar slam.

“For me this is something that I have wanted to do forever, but I think I have to think about it like if it was that easy,everyone would have done it.

“I just have to keep training hard and put myself in a position again to do it hopefully.

“But for now, like, peacing out of this tournament, I’m going home, like, ‘Bye, I’m sorry, I’m not gonna miss you (media)guys (smiling)’.”

Unbeaten in 16 matches since losing to eventual champion Angelique Kerber in Wimbledon’s third round last July, Osaka liveddangerously here.

She absorbed two early scares against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Victoria Azarenka after tardy starts.

But there was no escape against doubles world No 1 Siniakova.

Osaka, 21, was attempting to become the first woman to win the US, Australian and French Opens in a row since Serena Williamsin 2014-15.

But she was undone by self-inflicted wounds – 38 unforced errors to Siniakova’s 13.

And she failed to capitalise on any of the seven break points offered.

Naomi Osaka said defeat was a godsend

Siniakova had never previously downed a world No 1 – or reached the fourth round of a major.

Despite the defeat, Osaka’s world No 1 reign will continue because of the early Roland Garros departures of Angelique Kerber,Kiki Bertens and Karolina Pliskova and the withdrawal of Petra Kvitova.

Even more valuable than the premier ranking, Osaka has secured a sense of freedom.

“I just feel like there has been a weight on me, kind of,” she said.

“And I know that’s because everything is, like, sort of new.

“Like, I have played French Open before but not in this circumstance or situation.

“So, yeah, I mean, it hasn’t been the happiest of times.

“I tend to think other people outside of tennis they look at the rankings, like, ‘Oh, she’s supposed to win this match becausethe other girl is ranked 5 million hundred or whatever.

“These people (players), you know, they’re really good but they have ups and downs. I wasn’t ranked 1 last year. I was ranked70.

“There’s people that can play really good but not consistently and there are times they shine, and there is nothing I canreally do about it.”

Originally published as Ash Barty with a great chance to win her maiden Grand Slam title as big names fall in Paris