Ashleigh Barty was front and center when the Australian Open celebrated its inaugural First Nations Day.
The top-ranked Barty has indigenous heritage and her second-round match at Melbourne Park’s main stadium yesterday was among the features of a program dedicated to the indigenous and Torres Strait Islander community of Australia.
She was on and off the court quickly, beating 142nd-ranked qualifier Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 6-1 in 52 minutes.
Photo: Reuters
“Really cool... Nice for me to be a part of it in a way I feel most comfortable,” Barty said. “On a day when we’re bringing culture together ... it was really nice for me to go out and enjoy that. I was really fortunate to be able to play today.”
Rafael Nadal did not get it all his own way in the next match at Rod Laver Arena, needing five match points and 2 hours, 42 minutes to beat 126th-ranked German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.
The sixth-seeded Nadal, aiming for a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title, had two match points on Hanfmann’s serve in the ninth game of the third set and then two more on his own in the next game before finally clinching a spot in the third round when his rival sent a forehand long.
Nadal converted four of his 16 breakpoint chances, including one of eight in the third set, but only faced two breakpoints on his own serve and fended them both off.
“I knew him before, I played against him in the first round at Roland Garros — I know he’s dangerous,” Nadal said. “Today, his level of tennis was much higher than what his ranking says, without a doubt.”
Barty extended her streak of service holds to 48 games and moved into the third round at Melbourne Park for the sixth consecutive year.
The 2021 Wimbledon and 2019 French Open champion dropped just one game in her first-round match, which also took less than an hour, as she bids to become the first Australian woman since 1978 to win the country’s Grand Slam tournament.
Barty next faces another Italian, 30th-seeded Camila Giorgi. A win could set up Barty for a fourth-round showdown against defending champion Naomi Osaka.
Fifteenth-seeded Elina Svitolina was leading 6-3, 5-7, 5-1 when Harmony Tan retired from their second-round match.
Svitolina waited on court at Margaret Court Arena until Tan, who had received treatment on her lower left leg after the fifth game of the third set, was removed in a wheelchair.
“It’s always horrible when any athlete gets injured in competition. She played really well and she made it not easy for me,” Svitolina said. “I was a tough match. It’s tough to see a player going out like this.”
With her leg heavily bandaged, the 24-year-old Tan could not even move to the ball as Svitolina held serve. The ailing French woman reverted to serving underarm, hoping to be able to finish the match rather than retire.
Chair umpire Richard Haigh called on Tan to stop or risk doing more damage as she also appeared to have cramps in her right leg.
With her mother signaling from the grandstand for her to quit, Tan left the court in tears after a hug from Svitolina and sustained applause from the crowd.
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