By Alberto Amalfi | Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Ashleigh Barty was aiming for a clean and crisp start to her grass-court season.
The Roland Garros champion delivered both in Birmingham today topping dangerous Donna Vekic, 6-3, 6-4, to extend her winning streak to eight matches.
Sharapova: Ultimate Fighter Nadal Inspires
Facing a tricky transition from clay to grass against a tough opponent, the former Wimbledon girls' champion said she was eager to get back on turf for this test.
"I knew that I had to be sharp and I had to be ready," Barty said afterward. "Otherwise it wouldn't even be a contest.
"It was nice and clean today out here. I was just really excited to come back out and kind of dust off the cobwebs a little bit."
Empowered by her run to the Nottingham final last week, Vekic applied pressure immediately earning three break points in Barty's opening service game.
The second-ranked Aussie withstood that test before the pair exchanged breaks.
Carving out acute angles with her low slice backhand, Barty broke again for a 5-3 lead.
The 23-year-old Aussie served out an opening set in which she committed four of her seven double faults.
The second-ranked Barty, who trails top-ranked Naomi Osaka by just 252 ranking points, can surpass the Australian Open champion for the world No. 1 ranking if she takes the title and Osaka does not reach the final this weekend.
Next up for Barty is a second-round clash vs. 66th-ranked American Jennifer Brady, who banged seven aces in a 6-3, 6-3, sweep of Lesia Tsurenko.
Former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko overcame British No. 1 Johanna Konta, 6-3, 6-4, for her first Top 20 win of the season.
Former world No. 1 Venus Williams topped Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3, 6-4.
The American wild card will play Wang Qiang next. The sixth-seeded Chinese conqured American qualifier Lauren Davis, 6-3, 6-2.