Ash Barty, Nick Kyrgios open campaigns with wins at 'Summer of Tennis' lead-up events

Nathan Williamson

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Ash Barty, Nick Kyrgios open campaigns with wins at 'Summer of Tennis' lead-up events image

World number one Ash Barty and Nick Kyrgios have opened their 'Summer of Tennis' campaigns with victories at the Australian Open lead-up events.

The pair had drastically different fortunes in their matches, with Barty cruising to a 6-3 6-3 win over Romania's Ana Bogdan at the Yarra Valley Classic.

Having made her 2021 debut in Adelaide against Simona Halep, Barty was untroubled in the opening set, breaking in the seventh game.

She would lose just three points on serve, sealing the set 6-3 as she broke the world number 93 to love.

This would continue into the second set as Barty raced out to a 5-2 lead.

MORE: Millman loses opening match as Nadal withdraws from tie

Bogdan would show some fight on serve, saving two match points to force Barty to serve it out.

The world number one would seal the match in just over 75 minutes, booking her place in the third round against 16th seed Marie Bouzkova.

"I had so much fun out here today," she said post-match.

"It's been a while but I miss this feeling. I miss coming out and competing. 

"It being an official match feels different...I felt great in Adelaide and even better tonight."


As for Kyrgios, he was forced into a third set tie-breaker against Frenchmen Alexandre Müller, eventually closing it out 3-6 6-4 7-6(4) at the Murray River Open. 

Returning to the court for the first time in nearly a year, Kyrgios was slow to get started, losing the first set against the world number 209.


He would eventually find his rhythm on serve, racing out to a 4-1 lead in the second before claiming it 6-4.

In the end, the game would go down to a tie-breaker in the third, with the big serve of Kyrgios powering him home to victory.


"I was excited to get back out here," he said after the match.

"Any opponent was going to be tricky for me today. I was wanted to find my feet and somehow pulled it out of the hat again.

"This is awesome. I'm the one that feels blessed, most of the tour hasn't played with a crowd all year.

"To have my first match in my backyard basically with a full stadium on Court 3 brought back some early memories of me at the Aus Open. I was extremely blessed to be out here today."

He will face fellow Australian Harry Bourchier in the second round, who accounted for fellow countryman Marc Polmans on Monday.

Kyrgios is joined in the second round by Alexei Popyrin, who saved six match points to defeat Croatian Borna Gojo 6-7(8), 7-6(2), 7-6(7), along with James Duckworth and Andrew Harris.

At the Great Ocean Road Open, Jordan Thompson survived an early scare to get through to the second round, joined by Matthew Ebden and teenager Dane Sweeny.

 

 

Nathan Williamson