Burden of favouritism sits well with rising local stars

Ash Barty has become the world No 15 and Alex De Minaur the No 29. They’re expected to win more often than not.

Ash Barty in action yesterday against Elise Mertens during their quarter-final match won by Barty 6-3 6-3. Picture: AAP

Ash Barty is eating the contents of a packet of chips, flicking through her mobile phone, leaning against the wall near a monument to ­Thelma Long, the exquisite player from nearly a century ago who ­became captain of the Australia Women’s Army and drove a Red Cross truck during WWII. The modern player has it pretty good.

Barty is asked by an official from the WTA Tour: “Are you ready, Ash?” She chucks her chip packet in the bin and says: “I’m ready.” You imagine they’re talking about her preparedness for the Australian Open but of course she’s on her way to the latest in a procession of interviews as she inches closer to her appointments at Melbourne Park. Long won the Australian Open twice but there haven’t been too many homegrown winners since.

Last year a medal had John Newcombe’s name on it. Which gave him the responsibility of choosing Australia’s most accomplished player. For results. For ­improvement. For being a good bloke/top chick. He was struggling to decide between Barty and Alex De Minaur for Tennis Australia’s prestigious prize … it appeared we would need a bigger medal.

Alex de Minaur. Picture: AAP

Or another one. Newcombe thought, what the hell, they both deserved it. Gongs for everyone. Kids rule. Young Barty, 23, and even younger De Minaur, 21, were brought together on a flash stage down in Melbourne, their cherubic faces aglow as the first joint winners of Newcombe’s equivalent of the Gold Logie. He recently told The Australian: “I was finding it difficult to split those two so, stuff it, I decided not to!”

Barty and De Minaur got ­together again yesterday. Not in the sense of Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf getting together but in being scheduled for back-to-back matches inside Ken Rosewall Arena on quarter-finals day at the Sydney International. A new foe accompanied them onto the court. Being favourite. It could complicate matters. Barty has become the world No 15, De Minaur the No 29. They’re expected to win more often than not. As Roger Federer once said of never being the underdog, “I’ve created a monster”.

It made no difference to Barty. She polished off world No 12 Elise Mertens 6-3 6-3 with neither fuss nor bother. Regardless of the rankings, she was the favourite, arguably the most in-form female player in the world right now. It was nerveless. Seamless. The serve was in steady rhythm. The forehand was especially good. If nothing could split Barty and De Minaur in Newcombe’s shrewd eyes last year, their temperaments have perhaps become their most strikingly similar trait. They’re up for it.

“I’m the same Ash Barty,” said, well, Ash Barty. “I may be a slightly different player. A little bit more developed player, I think, but I’m the same girl and I have the same attitude. Look, I’m just out here enjoying my tennis.”

Barty risked a let-down after the high of toppling world No 1 ­Simona Halep on Wednesday but her form had become so rock-solid that the emotion could be taken out of it. Defeat would not have been the worst result in the world. If she bowed out of the Sydney tournament yesterday, she could have jumped on a plane to Melbourne and started practising on Rod Laver Arena from today.

“It was important but it wasn’t the end of the world, to be honest,” Barty said of her quarter-final. “I knew I had to come out and play a solid match. One sloppy game from me on serve in the second set was probably the only blemish.

“I feel like I’ve played — what? — now six really good singles matches this year. There haven’t been too many times where I’ve felt ­uncomfortable on the court. I feel like I’ve been in control of most of them, which is really pleasing, and putting myself in position towards the business end of the tournament, which is what you want to do.”

Barty said she would contemplate the Australian Open when she had finished trying to win the Sydney International. In other words, shut up about it.

“Obviously I’m extremely ­determined. I had a taste of what it was like last year (in the Sydney final when she was beaten by ­Angelique Kerber) and I’m very keen to keep going as best that I can. I know I’m playing good tennis. I’m well prepared. Now it’s about going out there and executing and trying to finish off this week strongly before worrying about next week. I’ll worry about that come Sunday or Monday, whenever we’re finished here. Whenever I have to play in Melbourne. I’m trying to focus on this week and worrying about my next match here rather than what happens for the Australian Open.”

De Minaur was less convincing. He got the job done 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 against Jordan Thompson. But he had glitches. Serving at 5-4, he lost his serve in a volley of ­unforced ­errors.

He and Barty will be reunited today for the semi-finals. Barty plays world No 9 Kiki Bertens, who said: “I feel like she can do a lot with the ball. She went away for a bit (to play cricket). But I think only like that was a good ­decision to make for her. She’s ­really ­relaxed now. If you see her and also going around, she’s such a great girl.”