Italian lingerie model is standing in Ash Barty’s way at the Australian Open

The next person Ash Barty needs to topple at the Australian Open is a tough challenge on the court — and a lingerie model off it.

World No. 1 Ash Barty is one victory away from a blockbuster fourth-round encounter with reigning Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka.

The only person that stands in her way is Italian star Camila Giorgi — who also happens to be a lingerie model.

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Last year, Giorgi stunned the tennis world by swooping to the Canadian Open title despite being unseeded for the tournament. It was the biggest win of her career and her third title win on the WTA circuit, having reached the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Olympics shortly beforehand.

But the 30-year-old was already well known to her 526,000 Instagram followers as she combines her day job with life as a lingerie model.

Camila Giorgi of Italy. Photo by Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images

Camila Giorgi of Italy. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

A wealth of fans have been tracking the world No. 33’s progress for some time. Alongside images of her tennis exploits, Giorgi regularly posts photos from her lingerie and fashion shoots.

One image of her in a set of red underwear in December was captioned “Merry Christmas” and earned 59,000 likes.

In 2018, she posed with her Linz Open trophy for a stylish shoot that was posted with the phrase: “Thank you all for all the support you have always shown to me.”

And her interest in both sport and fashion extends across her family, with brother Amadeus a former footballer who now runs clothing brand Giomila.

Giorgi began playing tennis when she was five and is reported to be interested in a career as a fashion designer or writer when she leaves the court.

Giorgi endured a rough run after beating Karolina Pliskova in the decider at Montreal’s National Bank Open last August as her American hard-court swing didn’t go to plan.

Four straight first-round losses in Cincinnati, New York, Chicago and Indian Wells all preceded her year-ending tournament in Tenerife, where she progressed to the semi-finals before losing to Camila Osorio in straight sets.

That effort in Spain in October was the last tournament Giorgi played before stepping foot at Melbourne Park, having entered the year’s first grand slam without playing any lead-up events Down Under.

But she’s shown no signs of rust, beating Anastasia Potapova and Tereza Martincova in straight sets to book her spot opposite Barty on Friday.

The Australian, meanwhile, has been in ominous form, dropping just three games in her opening two matches at her home slam.

Barty only needed 52 minutes to dispatch with Italian qualifier Lucia Bronzetti 6-1 6-1 on Wednesday — bettering even her own lofty standards from the first round where she toppled Lesia Tsurenko in 54 minutes.

Barty knows she’s in for a challenge when she meets Giorgi on Friday, as the Queenslander hopes to keep her dream of winning a maiden title at Melbourne Park alive.

“She has the ability to hold the baseline, to control the centre of the court, be super, super aggressive off her serve and first shot, particularly off her return,” Barty told reporters.

“It’s going to be a match where I’m going to have to serve well, bring in variety, make sure I can cover the court, neutralise the best that I can. She has the ability to hit you off the court without realising it’s happening.

“I think it’s going to be another match with some fresh challenges. But having played her before, she kind of knows my game, I kind of know hers. It’s about going out there and trying to do it as good as I can.”

— with The Sun