Ajla Tomljanovic aims to push higher in 2020

Ajla Tomljanovic's win over Maria Sharapova at the Kooyong Classic is hopefully a sign of things to come, according to Australia's No.2 female player.

Tomljanovic defeated the five-time grand slam winner 6-1, 1-6 (11-9) at the warm-up event for the Australian Open on Thursday, her first in three attempts, and said she was happy to get some more competitive practice in before the first grand slam of 2020.

Ajla Tomljanovic beat Maria Sharapova at Kooyong on Thursday.Credit: AAP

"Any match you can get on this kind of stage where it is not a practice court is really great, in front of a crowd and against such a good competitor like Maria doesn't feel like an exhibition so it's a pretty good preparation for me," Tomljanovic said.

The 26-year-old hit a career-high ranking of world No.39 in 2019 before finishing the season ranked No.52, where she currently sits.

Her year included a debut match at the Fed Cup in Australia's loss in the final after clearing eligibility issues that hampered her representing Australia.

In 2020 her focus is on improving more and closing the gap between her and No.1 ranked Australian Ashleigh Barty.

"It's always to just push more and I think that I am kind of getting wiser every year and I learn something new about myself and somehow I always think I can improve even more in my game as well, which I think I have done in the off-season but there's always every week I can build," she said.

"So I just want to make a bigger push this year."

Sharapova heads into the Australian Open aged 32 and off the back of a horror 2019 season. She only played 15 matches because of a shoulder injury and is ranked No.145 in the world.

"Ajla did a much better job of handling the [gusty] conditions today in the first [set] and I just was being a little bit more aggressive in the second and putting a little more pressure on her," Sharapova said.

In Hobart, Garbine Muguruza's Australian Open preparations hit a hurdle, with the two-time grand slam winner withdrawing from the Hobart International due to a viral illness.

The WTA tournament's second seed was scheduled to play Russian Veronika Kudermetova in the quarter-finals on Thursday evening.

"I'm really sad that I had to withdraw from the Hobart International," the 2016 French Open winner and 2017 Wimbledon champion said in a statement.

"It's such a special tournament for me and it's been great to return again this year. Thanks to all the wonderful fans and hopefully I can be back."

Muguruza, who won the Hobart title six years ago, saved a match point in a tough three-set win over Ons Jabeur in the second round.

The world No.34 has four days to recover before the start of the Australian Open on Monday.

In Adelaide, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka said she's primed to challenge for Ashleigh Barty's world No.1 crown after downing an elite opponent at the Adelaide International.

Sabalenka, the world No.12, outgunned second seed and world No.4 Simona Halep 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday in a quarter-final at Memorial Drive.

Sabalenka set up a semi-final against Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, who toppled Croatian Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-3 in her last-eight encounter.

Last year, Sabalenka defeated Barty in a semi-final at the Wuhan WTA tournament in China – her third win in five matches against the Queenslander.

Asked if her win over Halep showed the tennis world she had the potential to be a world No.1, Sabalenka replied: "I knew it before".

"Of course, I'm happy with this win, especially against big fighters like Simona ... [it] feels good."

In Auckland, John Millman went down swinging to Benoit Paire in a tight quarter-final.

Millman, elevated to Australia's No.2 male hope at the Open after Alex de Minaur's withdrawal, lost 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday night in one hour and 43 minutes.

The likeable Queenslander will head home to refocus for his Melbourne Park campaign, where he faces fellow Auckland Classic competitor Ugo Humbert in the first round.

Big-serving American John Isner defeated Kyle Edmund in two tiebreak sets to join Paire in the last four.

Isner will face Humbert in the semi-finals after the 21-year-old Frenchman produced an upset win over second seed Denis Shapovalov earlier on Thursday.

with AAP