Azarenka sends warning shot in Tomljanovic rout

Ash Barty remains the sole Australian woman left in the Wimbledon singles draw after Ajla Tomljanovic was ousted.

Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic hits a forehand return to Victoria Azarenka in the second round match at Wimbledon. Picture: AP

Ash Barty remains the sole Australian woman left in the Wimbledon singles draw after her doubles partner Victoria Azarenka thrashed Ajla Tomljanovic.

The dual-Australian Open champion has shown signs in recent months of reclaiming her best, as demonstrated by her deeds during the Fed Cup semi-final in Brisbane where only Barty was the better player.

And after a slow beginning, she was awesome against Tomljanovic when successful 6-2 6-0 in a match that lasted just over an hour.

She produced the type of form that made her one of the best-performed players at grand slam level prior to becoming a mother.

A prolonged custody battle that is now resolved hindered her progress back up the ranks. For a period, Azarenka was restricted to playing events solely in the US as the legal system decided the best arrangement for her son Leo.

But if the Belarusian can maintain the standard she displayed against Tomljanovic, she is a contender for this championship.

Twice a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon, Azarenka was powerful from the baseline, with the weight, depth and precision of her groundstrokes troubling the 49th ranked Tomljanovic.

She is agile around the court and adept at the net, with her volleying a feature against a rival who came into the net only once for the match, and that was solely because she was dragged forward.

The Belarussian’s partnership with Barty, although in its infancy, has already proven fruitful.

They reached the semi-finals of the Miami Open in early April and the Australian clearly benefited from the arrangement given she claimed the singles title which was her biggest success until the French Open.

In the lead-in to Roland Garros, the combination claimed their first title together when successful in the Italian Open.

They are seeded 10th in the doubles draw and were due to play their first round match overnight against West Australian Storm Sanders and another Belarusian in Lidziya Marozava.