Revelling in her new role as world No.1, Ashleigh Barty has led Australia’s batch of big guns into the second round of Wimbledon with a show-court clinic.
Barty, Australian men’s No.1 Alex de Minaur and former quarter-finalist Nick Kyrgios all safely progressed on day two of the championships.
But it was the new queen of women’s tennis who impressed most, Barty sweeping past China’s Zheng Saisai 6-4 6-2 in a nerveless display as Australia’s first top seed at the All England Club in 16 years.
A day after teary Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka crashed out and claimed she’d prefer not to be No.1 and carry all the pressure, Barty needed only 16 minutes to advance.
“Kind of came into it thinking kind of like Hakuna Matata; just relax and go for it. Really nice to come in here, get stuck into that first match,” Barty said.
“For me (being No.1), it’s a little bit irrelevant. The only pressure I have is what I put on myself, making sure I’m doing all the right things, preparing in the right way.
“Ultimately when we play our matches, we go out there and enjoy it. That’s why we do all the work, all the practices, to go out there and enjoy competing.
“As for Naomi, I can’t really comment on what she says. We’ve had an incredible year. To be where we are is really exciting. Loving every minute.”
In extending her winning streak to 13 matches, the French Open champion booked a date on Thursday with Belgium’s world No.58 Alison Van Uytvanck, a 6-4 4-6 6-2 winner over dual grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
De Minaur also marched into the second round without dropping a set, the 25th seed swatting aside 2018 French Open semi-finalist Marco Cecchinato 6-0 6-4 7-6 (7-5) in a rematch of their tournament opener last year.
“A lot of effort was put into this coming training week before Wimbledon, and to really focus on Wimbledon,” de Minaur said after rebounding from a turbulent build-up following the change in his management team.
“Can’t dwell on the past. It’s about keep moving on and on to the next week. So very happy with the progress we have made.”
Next up for de Minaur is American world No.71 Steve Johnson, who took out Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4 6-2 6-3.
Kyrgios is set for a potential Centre Court blockbuster with Rafael Nadal after denying his former junior doubles partner Jordan Thompson in their epic all-Australian first-round encounter.
Kyrgios needed almost three and a half hours to see off Thompson 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 7-6 (12-10) 0-6 6-1 on Court Three.
Five years after becoming the lowest-ranked player to beat a world No.1 at a grand slam since 1992, Kyrgios will reprise his Wimbledon rivalry with Nadal, providing the great Spaniard takes care of Japanese qualifier Yuichi Sugita later on Tuesday.
But Bernard Tomic and Samantha Stosur followed Thompson out the exit gates.
Tomic lost 6-1 6-2 6-4 to dual semi-finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while Stosur succumbed 6-2 7-5 to Spanish veteran Carla Suarez Navarro.
