‘What is happening?’: Tennis world stunned by Barty’s brutal beatdown

Ash Barty absolutely annihilated a defending champion in Cincinnati in a way nobody saw coming as she marched into the quarters.

Ash Barty has stormed through to the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters with a breathtaking win over defending champion Victoria Azarenka.

The Aussie superstar pummelled Azarenka 6-0 6-2, winning 10 straight games to start the match in her first tournament since winning bronze in mixed doubles at the Tokyo Olympics.

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Barty was rusty in her opening clash against Britain’s Heather Watson but showed enough steel to win 6-4 7-6. There were no such stumbles against Azarenka, as she dominated the former world No. 1 from start to finish to claim victory in 72 minutes.

Azarenka, a two-time grand slam winner, was powerless on Centre Court as Barty showed a ruthless efficiency on serve matched with a clever return game that saw her breeze into the next round, where she’ll face either reigning French Open champion Barbola Krejcikova or Garbine Muguruza for a place in the final four.

The Barty-Azarenka scoreline took plenty of people by surprise. The Queenslander was the favourite heading into the match, but nobody expected world No. 13 Azarenka to be blown away like she was.

Tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg reacted by tweeting “crikey” while the official WTA Twitter account simply said “wow”.

Commentator Jose Morgado said: “The world number one did #1 things.”

The Tennis Podcast’s social media team was just as gobsmacked, tweeting a gif with Azarenka saying “what is happening?” during a previous match in her career.

Barty 6-0, 6-2 Azarenka #CincyTennispic.twitter.com/SB4MzsyTQr

— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) August 19, 2021

Barty was unstoppable.

Speaking after her scrappy win over Watson to start the tournament, Barty said she was feeling good about the American hardcourt swing as she gears up for the US Open starting later this month.

She’ll be hoping to add another major title to her resume after winning grand slam singles crown number two at Wimbledon in July.

“I feel good. I feel like I’m ready to play,” Barty said after beating Watson. “I’m as close to 100 per cent as I’m ever going to get.

“I feel comfortable and ready and excited to be playing here in Cincinnati and knowing that we’re moving on to New York, one of the best tournaments and one of the best atmospheres in the world, that brings excitement.”