Ash Barty preparing for 'chess game' with Jessica Pegula in Australian Open quarter-final

During her Australian Open campaign, Ash Barty has spoken about how she relishes being faced by challenges.

So far this tournament, the world number one has met very few, illustrated by the fact she has not lost a set and only dropped serve once in her opening four matches.

But having reached the second week at Melbourne Park, Barty knows her bid to win her first Australian Open is about to encounter stiffer opposition.

And with 21st seed Jessica Pegula her quarter-final opponent on Rod Laver Arena, Barty is prepared for a tough night at the office.

«She's (Pegula) able to hold baseline really well,» Barty said in the build-up to tonight's match.

«Her swings are quite linear and she gets a racquet behind the ball and swings through the path. The ball comes at you at a different trajectory, and her ability to absorb pace and then add to it when she wants to is exceptional.

»It's going to be a challenge for me to try and push her off that baseline and make her uncomfortable and feel like she has to create [opportunities].

«But I know that she's also going to be doing the exact same thing to me and trying to make me uncomfortable. That's the chess game that we play.

»You go out there and have fun with it, see who can execute better on the day, and that's about all there is to it."

The two have only met on court once before, with Barty triumphing in straight sets in the first round of her successful 2019 French Open tilt.

Like Barty, Pegula has only lost one set on her march into the last eight, while she has the experience of reaching the same stage of the tournament last year under her belt.

Barty said she would do her homework on the American.

«Each and every player is different,» Barty said.

«Each and every player, there are some