Ashleigh Barty in a hurry & Thanasi Kokkinakis, Nick Kyrgios turn up the heat - Australian Open Diary

Barty in a hurry Ashleigh Barty’s 6-2 6-0 quarter-final victory over American Jessica Pegula on Tuesday went by so fast, the entire match felt like it lasted just as long as Rafael Nadal’s press conference (yes, he was in a chatty mood today). Ad/> The world No.1’s 63-minute win saw her reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the second time in three years, and further cement her status as the favourite for the title.

Australian OpenNadal special treatment row: Wilander says 'great champions' deserve 'some slack'2 HOURS AGO Pegula, who was contesting her second consecutive quarter-final at Melbourne Park, perfectly summarised why Barty has been so consistent and dominant since her ascent to the top of the rankings. “Honestly, she just does everything I think a little bit better than everybody,” said Pegula with a smile.

“Just for like women's tennis as well, she kind of plays more like a guy, maybe a different kind of style that we're not used to playing day in and day out. So it's really hard to come from someone that hits the ball really hard to someone that's giving you all these different shots that you don't normally see.” /> Kind words for Keys She has no problem devastating her opponents on court, but the second a match is over, Barty is quickly able to show why she is one of the most loved and respected world No.1s the sporting universe has ever seen.

The Queenslander had this to say about her upcoming semi-final opponent Madison Keys: “It's so nice to have Madi back playing her best tennis, she is a top player, she deserves to be at the top of her game. “She had a really rough trot last year with some injuries and some illness and different things, but it's just so nice to see her back out here doing what she