By Nick Mulvenney

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – World primary Ash Barty barely broke sweat as she swept into the second spherical of the Australian Open with a 6-0 6-0 thrashing of error-prone Danka Kovinic on Rod Laver Enviornment on Tuesday.

The Australian gained the primary 16 factors and misplaced solely 10 of 60 over the 44-minute match because the hapless Kovinic sprayed 28 unforced errors – nearly one each different level — to succumb to the dreaded “double bagel” scoreline.

“I needed to go on the market and nearly take the sting, take the pepper out of the match a little bit bit and get it on my phrases as a lot as doable proper from the get-go and make it really feel like she had an actual mountain to climb,” Barty stated.

“I feel that was in all probability probably the most pleasing factor total, proper from the beginning I set the tone and was in a position to run away with it.”

Such one-sided contests will do nothing for ticket gross sales at a match struggling to get followers by means of the gates, however Barty won’t care a jot as she seeks to change into the primary homegrown singles champion on the Grand Slam since 1978.

The 24-year-old performed her first match in nearly a yr final week and walked away with the title however she is aware of there’ll a lot be more durable exams forward if she is to land a second Grand Slam crown on the finish of subsequent week.

She was additionally the highest seed at Melbourne Park final yr after successful her first Grand Slam title on the 2019 French Open however fell to eventual champion Sofia Kenin within the semi-finals.

Whereas she has had an extended layoff, not having to quarantine for 2 weeks earlier than the match like her rivals must be a bonus and her draw was type.

Barty believes, nevertheless, that there are extra threats than ever within the ladies’s recreation.

“I feel greater than something is you are seeing that the ladies’s recreation is getting so sturdy, the depth is unbelievable. You actually cannot underestimate anybody,” Barty stated.

“Each single opponent deserves to be right here and has the precise to press you as a lot as doable.”Subsequent up for Barty is a second-round match towards Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo or native wildcard Daria Gavrilova.

“It will likely be a problem if she will get by means of,” she stated of compatriot Gavrilova.

“I all the time take pleasure in testing myself towards different Aussies. If she does get by means of, it will likely be a ripper.”

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, enhancing by Peter Rutherford and Pritha Sarkar)

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