Australian Barty moves into quarter-finals in first event backMixed day for
British players as six warm-up events underwayAsh Barty has showcased her fighting qualities on an extraordinary day of pre-Australian Open
Tennis at Melbourne Park. After a near year-long hiatus, Australia’s world No 1 advanced to the quarter-finals in her first tournament back with a 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 victory over dogged Czech Marie Bouzkova.
![Barty wins thriller as top six women grace Melbourne Park on same day](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/06ce055345e5279d7b1bfe510b084d8365203bb4/0_0_3132_1879/master/3132.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=e52e7709baaa8c204959c3ea97a4246a)
Barty’s gritty win sent a reminder to her rivals on the eve of Thursday night’s Open draw and on a day of unprecedented women’s talent on display. The world’s top six female players, as well as 23-times grand slam winner
Serena Williams, former Open champions Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber and
French Open titleholder Iga Swiatek were all on show.