Ashleigh Barty defeated Lesia Tsurenko 6-0 6-1 in 54 minutes to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
Rod Laver Arena favourite Barty won 11 games in a row before the Ukrainian finally broke through.
In front of a passionate home crowd, Wimbledon champion Barty converted her fifth match point with barely a flinch.
Lucia Bronzetti of Italy will be her next opponent. In her on-court interview, Barty paid tribute to her indigenous Australian heritage and the crowd’s support.
“This is beautiful – it feels like an eternity since I was back on this court,” she said. “I am a proud indigenous woman and I love to celebrate my heritage. It’s what connects me to all of you here and what connects me to the land.”
Having broken qualifier Tsurenko at the first opportunity, Barty fended off two break points in her next game to seize the lead.
Throughout the match, she was dominant, finishing the first set in 24 minutes before racing into a 5-0 lead in the second.
In the opening round of 2020, Tsurenko gave Barty a scare by saving two match points on her own serve. A couple of missed match points were the only signs of nerves from the Australian before she clinched an emphatic victory with an ace.
Barty’s dominance was underscored by her stats: she hit 14 winners to Tsurenko’s four and won 73% of first-serve points to maintain her lead.
“Besides the fact that I was able to adjust well, I enjoyed it and that is what counts most,” said Barty.
