Australian Open 2020: Ash Barty survives almighty scare against world No.120
World No.1 Ash Barty was forced to come from a set down in her opening Australian Open clash, but the news wasn’t as good for herself national teammate. AUSSIE WRAP.
Tennis
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If Australia was nervous, Ash Barty didn’t feel it.
The world No. 1 might have sent a ripple of fear through Melbourne Park in her first round Australian Open clash, dropping the first set to her 120th-ranked Ukrainian opponent Lesia Tsurenko, but the Queenslander proved typically cool to move on in her home grand slam.
“I don’t know really know how they (the crowd) were feeling,” she said.
“I felt comfortable knowing that I just needed to change a few things, to adjust, to try and bring the match back in my favour.
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“I think the crowd was incredible. Certainly once I got a bit of a roll on, they became more and more influential.”
Barty, who claimed the Adelaide International on Saturday to provide a springboard for her 2020 Australian Open campaign, conceded it was always nice to get the first win under her belt at a slam.
It’s been an element of major tournaments that she said she had only improved in recent years, now with greater ability to switch off the “chaos”.
“It’s always a little bit different I think,” the local hope said.
“Slams always feel like there’s a lot of chaos going because there’s so many people. It’s busy with singles and doubles players, mixed players, families, coaches, everyone underneath. It’s just chaos.
“When you’re able to separate that from when you step on the court is when you can do a little bit better, play a little bit better, feel a little bit more comfortable.
“I feel like we’ve been able to do that better and better with each slam that I’ve played. It’s an experience thing. You have to learn how to deal with it, but it’s getting better.”
How Barty would handle the pressure of holding the top ranking and being one of the favourites to claim her home slam has been a talking point, and a layer to the Open that she said she had learned to embrace.
“I feel like I’m doing it the best way that I know how,” she said.
“I’m doing it with my team. We’re doing it as a team. We’re loving it. We’re embracing it. There’s no other way to approach it.
“I think we’re just going along for the ride, trying to play some good tennis.”
Her next stop will be Tigerland if Barty gets her way, eyeing a trip to Punt Road to visit her beloved Richmond and its newest addition – the Tigers’ AFL Women’s outfit which is set to begin its first AFLW campaign in just over a fortnight.
“If I have a spare minute, I think I might,” she said.
“It would be nice to see the AFLW girls, as well. I was chatting to (Richmond AFLW captain) Katie Brennan, trying to work out a time where I would jump down and see them.
“Obviously if I’ve got a minute, I’ll be down there in a heartbeat.”
SAM SHELVES RETIREMENT PLANS
- Jay Clark
Sam Stosur says she has plans to return to the Australian Open again next year despite falling to a fifth-straight first-round exit on Monday night.
The veteran’s woes at her home tournament continued when she was brushed aside by 18-year-old American qualifier Catherine McNally 6-1 6-4.
Stosur, 35, has admitted she has struggled with expectations in front of her home crowd in previous years, but dismissed that pressure as a factor last night.
“I don’t use that as a reason or an excuse or anything like that,” Stosur said.
“There’s certainly been years in the past where I did struggle with that. But at the moment I don’t think it’s that.
“I think the conditions I find really hard with these courts and balls. I just don’t get the same reward off the court as what I do outside of Australia.
“I find that difficult every single time. (I’ll just) Try and knuckle down and do it again.”
In particular, Stosur struggled in the key moments last night, converting only one of 12 break point opportunities in the match.
Stosur said another early exit in Melbourne stung.
“Yeah, of course, it hurts,” she said.
“But at the end, you got no choice to kind of move on pretty quick. If I want to be down in the dumps, a sad sack, it’s not going to help me go out there and play well in the dubs.
“Sometimes you have to suck it up for a day or two after. That’s just the way it is.
“I do all the things that you need to do, (but it) doesn’t necessarily unfortunately seem to come off here for me.
“Whereas, you know, other tournaments around different places, whatever else, it seems to be a little bit easier for me.”
Stosur scotched retirement talk, saying she was determined to continue her singles and doubles’ career, despite her rankings slide.
She won the Australian Open doubles crown last year and will team up with new partner Ellen Perez this morning.
“I want to keep playing, no doubt. I guess my ranking is going to see where that allows me to keep playing, what I want to do. Kind of assess it as it goes,” she said.
“I know my schedule for the first six months or so where I think it’s going to be pretty all right with what I want to try and do.
“Yeah, if I can win matches and do the things that I think I’m still capable of, then hopefully I’m still main draw Grand Slams and having another shot.”