'Absolutely ruthless': Ash Barty's insane first since Grand Slam win
Ash Barty won her first match on her favoured clay surface since she won the French Open and shot to superstardom back in 2019.
Barty, fresh off defending her Miami Open win, lined up at the Charleston Open against Misaki Doi.
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But the Aussie was in imperious form and took the victory 6-2, 6-1 in her first clay-court appearance since 2019.
Many thought it would take some adjusting from the Miami hard court to her first match on clay since the French Open final in 2019, but Barty used her all-court game to aplomb.
Following the match, Barty said there was an adjustment period at the star before she got going.
"There was an adjustment period, without a doubt, it was a very quick turnaround from Miami," she said on the Tennis Channel.
"It was a very quick turnaround, only a couple hours of practice, honestly happy I didn't trip and fall when trying to slide."
Fans praise Barty's clay-court transition
The tennis world was full of praise for the World No.1 and her strong form to start 2021 and has taken her winning streak to seven matches.
Sealed with an ace 💥@ashbarty claims her 7️⃣th straight match win. Defeats Doi, 6-2, 6-1.#VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/ky6uHyApF5
— wta (@WTA) April 7, 2021
Ash Barty still on fire, easily beats Misaki Doi 6-2, 6-1 to reach the last 16 in Charleston. That was her first clay match since the 2019 Roland Garros final!
She will face Anisimova or Rogers tomorrow, which should be a good test. pic.twitter.com/AIGZGdNPd8— José Morgado (@josemorgado) April 7, 2021
Ash Barty is making her tennis look so easy right now #VolvoCarOpen
— Myles David 🗣 (@missingpointpod) April 7, 2021
With the greatest respect to all athletes, Ash Barty is the best Australian athlete in any sport at the moment. Absolutely ruthless
— Dec Cunningham (@CunninghamDecAU) April 7, 2021
With the greatest respect to all athletes, Ash Barty is the best Australian athlete in any sport at the moment. Absolutely ruthless
— Dec Cunningham (@CunninghamDecAU) April 7, 2021
The Australian spent most of the last year at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Miami was her first tournament abroad since February 2020.
Barty said prior to the Charleston Open her body was feeling good.
"We've done a lot of work over the preseason to make sure that my body could hold up and withstand a lot of matches and I felt like we were able to do that in Miami," she told reporters.
"It's really nice to be here now and kind of have a fresh start. It's a fresh surface, it's a very quick shift for me, changing surfaces ... it will be exciting. It'll be a quick transition, but one that I look forward to."
Next up, Barty will face either Amanda Anisimova or Shelby Rogers.
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