Australian Open: Ash Barty encourages Emerson Jones to play with freedom

Ash Barty has some sage advice for the teenage star who has drawn excited comparisons to the Aussie former world No.1.

Australian 16-year-old Emerson Jones has drawn comparisons to Ash Barty as she prepares for her maiden senior grand slam next week. Picture: Mark Brake / Getty Images

Former world No.1 Ash Barty has urged teen sensation Emerson Jones to enjoy her first Australian Open without the pressure of expectation as comparisons are drawn between the duo.

Jones, 16, caused a stir in her senior WTA singles debut at the Adelaide International as she emphatically beat Chinese world No.37 Xinyu Wang 6-4, 6-0 to advance to the round of 16.

It set up a bout with world No.9 Daria Kasatkina on Wednesday night and fuelled further comparisons to Barty, another former teen prodigy who went on to win three grand slam titles.

“(The extra attention) is certainly a different beast, and I think getting to know ‘Emmo’ a lot more over the last couple of years, she’s a very driven person – she’s passionate, she wants to do well, she’s focused, she’s professional,” Barty said.

“I really do think that this Australian summer is almost the perfect opportunity for her to soak it all in and enjoy it without that pressure.

Three-time grand slam singles champion Ash Barty is in Melbourne for the Australian Open. Picture: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

Emerson Jones has been touted as ‘the next Ash Barty’ in Australian tennis. Picture: Mark Brake / Getty Images

“She’ll want to do well, and she’ll want to play her best tennis, but I think it’s about giving herself the opportunity to embrace it all and soak it all in.”

Barty warned against dubbing the fellow Queenslander “the next Ash Barty”, as Jones remained “very much in the infancy” of her tennis career.

“I think it’s ‘be the best Emerson Jones that you can be’. Her game has a lot of developing to do, she’s only a young teenager,” Barty said.

“Her whole life is ahead of her, her whole career is ahead … I’m excited for her, and I hope she’s able to come out at this Australian Open and play with a smile on her face and play with freedom because that’s when she plays her best tennis.

“Fingers crossed she can have a really positive experience regardless of the result.”

As well as the Australian Open main draw, Jones received a wildcard for the Adelaide International, where she beat China’s world No.37 Xinyu Wang 6-4, 6-0 in the first round. Picture: Mark Brake / Getty Images

Jones, whose older brother Hayden was knocked out in the first round of Australian Open qualifying on Tuesday, won a main draw wildcard for the tournament after becoming the first Australian junior girl to reach No.1 in the world rankings since Jelena Dokic in 1998.

She also received a wildcard to play in Adelaide, where she repaid the faith with a resounding first-round victory.

”I didn’t think I’d even get a wildcard for this tournament, so winning a round is pretty special,” Jones said after the win over Wang.

“The message was no pressure, go out and play my best, because I wasn’t expected to win.

“Sometimes I get a bit ahead of myself, so today I was trying to focus on each point and not get ahead of myself.

“It’s exciting to be compared to Ash Barty and to know she’s done all of this. I just think we’re all on our different journeys … I just want to see how I go and focus on myself.”