Australian Open: Ash Barty rescues local hopes

Ash Barty weathered a ferocious onslaught from emerging power Aryna Sabalenka on Rod Laver Arena last night.

Ash Barty rips a backhand on Rod Laver Arena last night. Picture: Michael Klein.

Ash Barty weathered a ferocious onslaught from emerging power Aryna Sabalenka on Rod Laver Arena last night to save the nation from a clean sweep on the second day of the Australian Open.

Seeded in the Australian Open for the first time, the 21-year-old was challenged strongly by Belarusian Sabalenka before prevailing 6-7 (2) 6-4 6-4.

A sole beacon of hope after seven of her compatriots were toppled earlier in the day, Barty required all her guile and class against the formidable 19-year-old.

The 18th seed faces another talented shot-maker in Camila Giorgi tomorrow, where she will be the sole Australian in action.

Promising teenagers Destanee Aiava, Alex De Minaur and Alexei Popyrin were among those beaten yesterday, so too Davis Cup representatives Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jordan Thompson, freshly-minted citizen Ajla Tomljanovic and Gold Coaster Lizzie Cabrera.

And for a period, it seemed possible Barty might join the ranks of the vanquished given the challenge mounted by Sabalenka, whose “shock and phwoar” approach had the Queenslander firmly on the back foot.

Sabalenka has a powerful serve — her quickest speed of 182km/h is zippy for women — and prodigious power on both wings.

But the Australian’s senses — or at the very least her hearing — may have been dulled by the accompanying din of Sabalenka’s shrieking.

“I knew it was coming but it was a bit louder than I thought. But I knew I had to let that go and just concentrate on myself,” Barty said after the match.

Late in the second set, as the local favourite attempted to level the match, fans began mimicking the Sabalenka squeal.

This prompted the central umpire to plead with them to remain quiet during points.

Doubles legend Todd Woodbridge was among her critics.

“Nice player, Sabalenka, but something needs to be done about her noise and grunting on court,” he noted on social media.

Melbourne-born wildcard Destanee Aiava wants to play a men’s brand of tennis. She’s drawn comparisons to Serena Williams. But she admits she suffered an anxiety attack on Rod Laver Arena yesterday that left her unable to remember the score during her agonising defeat to wounded world No 1 Simona Halep.

The powerhouse teenager who complained of mental exhaustion last week in Sydney called for the trainer at 5-2 because she was hyperventilating from stress.

She lost two set points, fell just short in the tiebreaker, watched Halep go down with a rolled ankle in the second set but conceded a 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 defeat to the Romanian baseliner who has the dubious honour of topping the world rankings without having won a major championship.

The 17-year-old Aiava conceded the scale of the occasion got to her.

“I just got really anxious at 5-2 and started hyperventilating a bit,” she said.

“Everything’s fine. I actually didn’t remember the score because I was just so out of it when I came back out. I guess I’ve got to work on that a bit. But it happens.

“Hopefully I won’t do that next time. That was the first time it’s happened. It did bring me out of focus a bit.

“I think next time I’ll be fine. I just got a bit anxious. I enjoyed it as well. I’ve tried to work on every shot, just bring that into my game, not play one-sided.

“Just bring my game into more of a men’s game, like all-around, not like an average girl’s match.”

Aiava played a compelling yet erratic match for a 17-year-old on a grand stage that should convince her the future has endless possibilities if she knuckles down in a fledgling career that has already left her struggling to deal with the internal and external pressures.