‘She’s a huge player’: Rivals in awe of Ash Barty

Ash Barty has looked in supreme touch so far this year but the World No. 1 could face some stiff competition at the Sydney Tennis Classic.

Barty is hoping to become the first Aussie woman since Chris O’Neil to taste Australian Open glory. (Photo by Michael Errey / AFP)

Ash Barty’s rivals will be out to gatecrash the Barty Party when the World No. 1 continues her Australian Open preparation at the Sydney Tennis Classic this week.

Barty’s quest to become the first Aussie woman in more than 40 years to win the Australian Open is off to a strong start — she looked in supreme touch en route to Sunday’s final of the Adelaide International, which she won in straight sets.

However, things could be about to get a bit harder for the 2021 Wimbledon champion.

Barty faced only one top-ten player in Adelaide but could meet as many as three as she pursues glory at the Sydney Tennis Classic.

The Sydney-based tournament, which gets underway on Monday, will be Barty’s last chance to limber up ahead of the Australian Open.

And the 25-year-old’s rivals are out to make sure she doesn’t enter the first grand slam of the year on a high.

Watch Tennis Live with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. Live Coverage of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments including Every Finals Match. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial >

World No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza — the second-highest ranked player in the women’s tournament — has defeated Barty once before and wouldn’t shy away from the challenge of facing her again.

“She’s maintaining her level in a very good way,” Muguruza said.

“She’s a very talented player. It’s always difficult to face her.

“She's always a tough opponent and I’ll be looking forward to facing her, because that means that we are in a deep round of the tournament.”

Muguruza lost in the final of the 2020 Australian Open and was knocked out of last year’s tournament by eventual winner Naomi Osaka.

“It gives you the certainty that you can play well here,” she said.

“I felt a lot of support from the crowd.

“Hopefully I can win one day.”

Barty defeated Krejcikova in the round of 16 at Wimbledon last year, and in the quarter-final in Cincinnati. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)

World No.5 Barbora Krejcikova has been tracking Barty’s progress with a keen eye this summer.

“She’s very good, she’s a really good player,” Krejcikova said.

“I’ve been watching her last week in Adelaide. She’s been playing amazing tennis.

“I hope that we’re gonna have a big chance to beat her, at least one of us.

“She’s a huge player, a great champion.”

Krejcikova wouldn’t meet Barty until the final of the Sydney Tennis Classic, but is jumping at the chance to avenge the two losses Barty handed her last year.

“I had a chance to play her a couple times last year and it was very, very tricky, very difficult,” Krejcikova said.

“It will be a pleasure to play against her.”

Meanwhile, Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson and Nick Kyrgios will be carrying the flag for Australia in the men’s singles tournament at the Sydney Tennis Classic.

Awarded a wildcard, Kyrgios is gearing up to return to the court after illness forced him to withdraw from the Melbourne Summer Set last week.

The World No.93 said he wasn’t concerned about entering the tournament as an underdog.

“If I’m ranked 1000 or 10 in the world, I know what I’m capable of,” he said.

“Everyone knows what I’m capable of on tour. I’m not a player that hasn’t proven themselves. “I talk a lot, but I also have beaten a lot of players and I have won a lot of tournaments.”

Kyrgios is facing Italian Fabio Fognini in the first round of the Sydney Tennis Classic. (Photo by JEREMY NG / AFP)

Sydney-born Popyrin said he expected Spaniard Pedro Martinez to throw plenty at him in the first round.

“I think it’s going to be a tough match, a tough grind,” he said.

“He’s a Spanish guy, Top 60 in the world. He can play tennis.”

Popyrin said the home-court advantage could give him the upper hand, though.

“I’m playing with the crowd behind me. I’m playing on my home courts, courts that I grew up on,” he said.

“I know these courts like the back of my hand. It’s going to be a good match.

“I’m looking forward to getting out there.”