MELBOURNE (Reuters) – World number one Ash Barty doled out the dreaded ‘double bagel’ to Danka Kovinic in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday, humiliating the error-prone Montenegrin 6-0 6-0 on Rod Laver Arena.
Barty, looking to become the first homegrown champion at the Grand Slam since 1978, won the first 16 points of the one-sided contest and never looked back, wrapping up the win in 44 minutes.
“This is what it’s all about, this is incredible,” the Australian said to cheers from the crowd.
“It’s impossible not to enjoy a night session on this beautiful court.”
Next up for Barty is a second-round match against Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo or local wildcard Daria Gavrilova.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
