Ash Barty underlines favourite status by trouncing Pegula at Australian Open

Ash Barty’s rapid march through the Australian Open draw continued on Tuesday as she faced her highest ranked opponent so far, the in-form 21st seed Jessica Pegula, and treated her with the same disdain as all others who have crossed her path in Melbourne this year. This time, Barty allowed Pegula just two paltry games as she reached her second career Australian Open semi-final with a 6-2, 6-0 win.

“I’m just having fun, to be honest,” said Barty afterwards. “I’m having fun trying to problem solve out on the court, and each and every opponent has been different, each and every opponent has presented me with a different challenge and forced me to use another tool in my toolbox.”

A measure of Barty’s efficiency so far this year: the 63 minutes spent on court against Pegula is her second longest match so far at the Australian Open this year. She has dropped only 17 games in her five matches, dismantling all opponents in her path with clarity and ease.

Standing before Barty on Tuesday, Pegula is the daughter of Terry Pegula, a billionaire businessman who owns the Buffalo Bills in the NFL and the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL. Pegula is a late bloomer at 27, having spent most of her career on the ITF Circuit outside the top 100. She did not truly break through until last year, a season that began with a quarter-final at the Australian Open and ended with a top 20 debut.

She has gained notable success by striking an extremely flat ball, taking the ball early and robbing time from opponents with her consistent depth. Barty did not actually start well, spraying unforced errors in a number of long games early on. But she soon got to work, moving Pegula from side-to-side with her forehand and dragging her into the forecourt with her