Battling Barty overcomes Pera

Ashleigh Barty is old school. A puis-sant backhand slice and serve that stings. She plays chess on a tennis court, picking her spots. Her touch is feather-light. She’s cerebral, she’s crafty. Her power is in her placement.

- Prajwal Hegde

On Tuesday, the 2019 Roland Garros champion, returning to the scene of her biggest triumph for the first time in two years, combined art with heart. Battling injury woes and an inspired opponent in left-handed American Bernarda Pera, the world No.1, who needed a medical timeout for a strained left hip, scored a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win in two hours.

Barty’s hip flared up over the weekend and needed treatment as the first-round match progressed. “Every match that I play is a different experience, whether it’s an opponent or a physical challenge. You learn to accept it and you learn to overcome it,” she explained. “That was a massive part of today, accepting the fact that I may not be 100 percent, but I’m certainly good enough to go out there and fight and give myself a chance to win matches. I’m not going to hide behind the fact that I’m not quite 100 percent, but I guarantee that I will go out there with the right attitude and give it a crack.”

Barty, who missed the truncated 2020 season after Australia closed borders, left home three months ago in February, to pursue her tennis. The top seed, who clinched her third title of the season in Stuttgart, before finishing runner-up in Madrid, retired in the quarterfinals at Rome with a right-arm injury.