Barty battles past Rogers to reach Australian Open quarterfinal

It was a straightforward day at the office for Ashleigh Barty who battled past Shelby Rogers in straight sets to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Many were interested in this match as they last played about 10 days ago on these same courts. Barty won that match but it was far from easy for the Australian who played three sets that day. The start of this match suggested an easier time for Barty as she quickly found herself up 3-1. She played well enough to hold onto the lead and won the opening set 6-3. She played very well on her serve winning both ones at a high rate and saving two breaks points which proved more than enough against Rogers.

The 2nd set followed more or less a similar script with Barty once again jumping out to an early 3-1 lead thanks to unsure baseline play from Rogers who had 6 unforced errors in those four opening games compared to only one winner. Rogers tried to get back into the match but by that time it was too late. Barty was rolling and hitting winners with ease adding another break in the process. Rogers did not go down without a fight so she saved two match points taking a break back from Barty to make it 5-4. Ashleigh remained calm and won the next game to end it without dropping a point.

It was a strong display from Barty who needed only just over an hour to defeat Shelby Rogers in a match where she showed great adjustments from their last one. She knew exactly what to do in order to win and executed that on the court to perfection.