Melbourne: Top-ranked Ashleigh Barty stormed into the second round of the Australian Open after dismantling Montengrin Danka Kovinic with 6-0 6-0 scoreline in just 44-minutes.
Barty only dropped four points in the first set, winning the first 16 points of the match to lead 4-0 before her rival even found the scoreboard.
After claiming the first set inside of 18-minutes, she returned for the second and produced a carbon copy to claim the match in emphatic fashion.
Barty lost in the semifinals of last year’s Australian Open to eventual champion Sofia Kenin, then skipped the French Open and U.S. Open because she stayed in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before winning last week’s Yarra Valley Classic warm-up tournament, Barty hadn’t played a competitive match since last February.
Similarly, Stefanos Tsitsipas has eased into the second round of the Australian Open with a cruisy straight sets (6-1 6-2 6-1) victory over France’s Gilles Simon.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Jordan Thompson has been forced to retire hurt from his first-round match due to a neck injury.Thompson was down two sets to Norweigian opponent Casper Ruud with the game on serve in the third set when he pulled out.
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