Ashleigh Barty, who strips down many of her trophies and gives them to friends to recycle for juniors at a Brisbane club, writes the sort of story Australian tennis badly needs right now. While various stars of the men’s game here, faded and flickering, former and current, embarrass themselves on an almost daily basis by bickering in public over private rows, the 22-year-old Queenslander with the open smile and rock-solid game has been quietly working her way to the fourth round of the Australian Open. She beat the exciting Greek prospect, Maria Sakkari, 7-5, 6-1 on Friday and plays the 2008 champion, Maria Sharapova, on Sunday. Later, she politely turned away the inevitable questions about allegations by Lleyton Hewitt that Bernard Tomic had threatened him and his family for freezing him out of the Davis Cup team. Tomic denies the claim. Nick Kyrgios and others have been ducking for cover. It is all very unsavoury. “I have no knowledge of what’s happening,” she said. “There are a million stories going around grand slam time because there are so many players, there are so many matches, there are so many amazing stories. From my point of view, it’s been a super positive week.” Barty will have the country cheering her on against Sharapova, who went out in the third round to Angelique Kerber on her return here last year after her drugs suspension, but has looked back to near her best this week. The Russian, 30th in the world after a quiet 2018, had two easy wins then had to fight harder on Friday to overcome the defending champion, Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. After two hours and 20 minutes, Wozniacki gifted Sharapova match point with a double fault, but the Russian got anxious in a long rally and wasted the chance with a loose forehand. She was not so profligate with the next opportunity and there was little the world No 3 could do about her withering, angled backhand. Wozniacki is the highest-ranked opponent Sharapova has beaten since her first-round victory over Simona Halep at the US Open in 2017, her first grand slam match since her ban. There has been a froideur between the two players since Wozniacki was highly critical of Sharapova’s welcome by tournament organisers on her return to the tour, leading to the Russian’s agent describing Wozniacki as “a journeyman”. Nine months later, the Dane won her first slam in Melbourne. Loved every minute of today’s battle. 4th round 👊🏻💪🏻 @AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/36UhHTmIIZ — Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) January 18, 2019 After defeat in the first match between the two since Sharapova’s 15-month suspension, Wozniacki said of their frosty relationship: “Our terms are the same as they have always been. She doesn’t really talk to anybody and has her team and has her own thing. And that’s that. I do my own thing. I have my friends, and that’s that. We are on tour. We are competitors. We both try our hardest when we’re out there on court.” Wozniacki, who recently revealed she is suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, said the damp weather did not noticeably affect her game. “I feel good. I gave it everything I had. Definitely don’t want to blame it on anything else. She was just a little bit better than me today.” Sharapova also flat-batted questions about her edgy relationship with Wozniacki. “I just really like winning. I’m just really happy and proud of the way I competed today and I’m into the fourth round. So that’s all that matters.” Of the match-up with Barty, she added: “I know that it’s going to be a tough crowd, but I go out here to perform and play tennis. That’s why the nets go up, so we can compete. I love that opportunity.” Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks. Barty, whose natural talent enabled her to play cricket for Australia with little background in the sport, turned her energies and talent to tennis full-time in 2016 and has risen to 15 in the world on a growing wave of impressive results. However, while tennis has put more than $5m in her bank account, cricket still competes for her attention, and, once done with media commitments, she dashed home from Melbourne Park to catch the Australia-India one-dayer at the MCG on TV. If there is a minor concern about her prospects it is her reluctance to be specific about the medical timeout she took between sets on Friday. “I have just gotten to know my body well enough now to know when I need a little bit of help,” she said. “It was more just for a bit of reassurance and support.” She said of her busy schedule: “There is nothing else can get you ready for matches than matches. It was a perfect preparation through Perth and Sydney [where she beat world No1 Halep and lost to Petra Kvitova in a thrilling three-set final], and now I come here feeling great. “I feel like I have the matches and tennis under my belts. It’s getting to the point now where I’m feeling more and more comfortable on the court and can play my brand of tennis, which when I execute I know it works against the best in the world.” The other eye-catching performance on day five was the win by the 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimova, the youngest player left in the draw, who beat the world No 11 Aryna Sabalenka, considered by many a serious threat to the leading contenders. Asked if she had a single dream she would like to see realised, Anisimova said, bluntly: “I want to win this tournament right now. Anything is possible.” Born and raised in New Jersey of Russian parents, the former US Open junior champion took only 65 minutes to win 6-3, 6-2 and has now beaten seven of 11 seeded opponents in her short career – including Kvitova, her opponent in the fourth round. The eighth seed, a semi-finalist here in 2012, could be a dream-wrecker. She looked dangerous again after beating the in-form Belinda Bencic, 6-1, 6-4, although the second set was way more competitive until she broke in the seventh game.<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section Tennis Australian Ashleigh Barty reached the fourth round of the US Open which was the furthest she has previously gone in a Grand Slam tournament Australian Open 2019 Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 14-27 January Coverage: Daily live commentaries on the BBC Sport website, listen to Tennis Breakfast daily from 07:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and watch highlights on BBC TV and online. Home favourite Ashleigh Barty won nine games in a row to inspire a comeback against Maria Sharapova and book her place in the Australian Open quarter-finals. Having lost the first set, Barty broke twice in the second and went on to win 4-6 6-1 6-4 to reach the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time. "This is unreal," the 15th seed told a packed crowd on the Rod Laver Arena. "Playing on this beautiful court - there is nothing better." She will face eighth seed Petra Kvitova, who beat Amanda Anisimova. World number six Kvitova comfortably won 6-2 6-1 against the American 17-year-old on Rod Laver Arena. The Czech two-time Grand Slam champion has reached the last eight on two other occasions but has never won the title in Melbourne. Barty thrives in front of home crowd Maria Sharapova won the Australian Open in 2008 and has reached the final twice since then There was great anticipation in Melbourne as the home crowd hoped for a memorable victory for Barty and turned out in numbers. From the opening point there were roars of celebration and groans of frustration from a one-sided crowd, who showed hostility towards Sharapova throughout. It did not go to plan at first as the Russian silenced the supporters by breaking serve and holding to love, before rounding off the first set with an ace. But Barty was urged to fight back and she did so ruthlessly - winning five games in a row to snatch the second set. Sharapova needed to regroup and she took more than seven and a half minutes during the toilet break before the third set, which only angered the home fans more. Boos rang out on Rod Laver Arena and Sharapova seemed ruffled by them as she was broken to love in her first service game - a roar of cheers celebrated a double fault which handed Barty the advantage. Sharapova later dismissed suggestions the hostility from the Australian crowd played a part in her defeat, saying it was "silly" to think that. The Australian surged on and racked up nine game in a row, while Sharapova was given a time violation at 4-0 down in the third. Victory seemed inevitable for Barty but Sharapova started to claw her way back as the pair engaged in some eye-catching rallies before the five-time Grand Slam champion eventually broke serve. It was a nervous ending for the crowd and for Barty, who saved two break points at 4-3 up and double-faulted on match point. It took four match points in the end but Barty slammed an ace to complete the job and set up a mouth-watering tie with Kvitova. Sharapova has gone beyond the fourth round of a Slam just once since her return from a 15-month drug ban, reaching the quarter-finals of last year's French Open after Serena Williams withdrew from their fourth-round match. But the Russian believes she remains a Grand Slam contender, adding: "It would be tough for me to be doing all the work and putting in all the effort if I didn't really believe that. I think I'd be kidding myself." A spider-cam smashed into the sun shield above the umpire's chair after the match between Ashleigh Barty and Maria Sharapova but she was unhurt Kvitova makes light work of victory It was a world-class performance from Kvitova and she shrugged off any threat from young Anisimova from the off. The 17-year-old had already knocked out Belarusian 11th seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round but was made to look nervous and uncomfortable on her serve, under pressure from Kvitova. Kvitova had three breaks points in the first game and added a further five throughout the match - breaking Anisimova's serve on five occasions in total. Anisimova could not muster any break points of her own and never came close to troubling the Czech's serve. After making light work of the first set, Kvitova continued to impose herself in the second - breaking in Anisimova's second service game. The world number six attacked with precision on the return and only clocked up one double fault and nine unforced errors in a truly commanding performance. "I am feeling good and really enjoying my tennis and that's the most important thing for me," said Kvitova, who is appearing in her first Grand Slam quarter-final since the US Open in 2017. "Being in the quarter-finals is where you want to be in the second week of a Grand Slam."<doc-sep>Favourites thrive on day six It was a disappointing end to our strong run at the Australian Open with Qiang Wang unable to get past a very strong Anastasija Sevastova, who won 83% of her service points en route to a straight set victory. In other matches today, Naomi Osaka was pushed to three sets by Su-Wei Hsieh, while there were also wins for Serena Williams, Madison Keys, Garbine Muguruza, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova and our outright selection, Elina Svitolina, in what was day of favourite success. Anisimova capable of testing Kvitova It will be interesting to see whether this continues in the fourth round, and getting matters underway at around midnight UK time is Petra Kvitova, who faces the huge prospect, Amanda Anisimova. Kvitova is 1.635/8, which my model makes a little short, but not unduly so, against THE number one prospect on the WTA Tour, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if the young American was able to trouble the Czech left-hander. Having said this, I do feel that the match is on Kvitova's racquet - as is often the case - and a high level performance will probably be too much for a player in uncharted territory in Grand Slams. However, this isn't necessarily a given, and Anisimova will stand a decent chance if Kvitova isn't quite at her best. Sharapova capable of continuing Barty's Slam misery Next up, at around 1:30am UK time, sees Ash Barty take on Maria Sharapova. Barty is favourite, at 2.166/5, and this has seen a little drift on the Australian from opening lines. I'm not that surprised by the drift, as I make Sharapova a very marginal favourite based on 12 month hard court data, although I do have to point out that Sharapova's data isn't of the biggest sample size. Barty has never made it past this round in Slams - her best showing previously was a straight-set defeat to Karolina Pliskova at this stage in last year's US Open - so a win here will be a career-best achievement, and I wonder how much this might play on her mind against a player who has still retained her incredible will to win, even after tour absences. Sharapova's break deficit recovery numbers are still extremely strong, and after an excellent win over Caroline Wozniacki on Friday and two demolitions of lower-profile opposition, she seems in decent touch here. It's not a confident selection by any means, and staking should be reflected with that, but Sharapova does look the best spot of Sunday's action. Kerber a heavy favourite to get past Collins In the later matches, Danielle Collins is a 7.206/1 underdog against Angelique Kerber, with the German looking back to her best - albeit against limited opposition - in the early rounds. I was also considering Collins on the +5.5 game handicap, but Kerber has covered this line more than she hasn't when priced 1.101/10 to 1.201/5 on hard court in the last couple of years, so I'll give this a swerve. Stephens and Pavlyuchenkova accurately priced Finally, our winner from Friday, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, is a slight 2.486/4 underdog to get the better of Sloane Stephens, a price which my model makes about right. Pav has an edge on serve, when looking at 12 month hard court data, but Stephens has a bigger advantage on return, and I agree that Stephens should be favourite for this clash. *** Follow Dan on Twitter @TennisRatings<doc-sep>
Ashleigh Barty has made the quarter-finals of a major for the first time in her promising career after coming from a set down to beat former champion Maria Sharapova in a gripping encounter at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Key points: Ashleigh Barty is the first Australian in the women's quarter-finals since 2009 Ashleigh Barty is the first Australian in the women's quarter-finals since 2009 She will play Petra Kvitova in the last eight She will play Petra Kvitova in the last eight Sharapova was booed by the Rod Laver Arena crowd after taking a lengthy bathroom break Barty, who went into the match under an injury cloud due to an abdominal strain, dropped the first set but fought back in convincing fashion to defeat the 2008 winner Sharapova 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena. She had four match points before sealing victory and becomes the first Australian through to the last eight of the women's draw since Jelena Dokic's run at Melbourne Park 10 years ago. The match had the potential to spill over into controversy when Sharapova took a seven-minute bathroom break after the second set, which drew a chorus of boos from the crowd once she returned to the court. If it was designed to put Barty off her game it did not work, as Barty broke the five-time major winner immediately and then added a second service break. Sharapova grabbed a break back and almost another when Barty was serving at 4-3, but the Queenslander held and then pushed through to claim the three-set triumph in two hours and 22 minutes. Loading Barty's previous best finish at a major was an appearance in the fourth round at last year's US Open. Her charge into the quarter-finals continues the remarkable comeback she has made to tennis after taking an indefinite break from the game, which included a stint playing cricket in the WBBL with Brisbane Heat. "The atmosphere was really unbelievable, it really was," Barty said. "That first match point, my ears were ringing. I think I missed a couple of serves by a few millimetres and went for the wrong serve on a second serve on match point. "But really happy to close it out in the end and the crowd were unbelievable. "I have never quite played in Rod Laver when it's been that full, I think, especially against a champion like Maria, who has proven it time and time again that she can come back from any deficit. "She's proven herself on the biggest stages. It's pleasing." Barty, the world number 15, will play Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, an opponent she met in the final of the Sydney International last weekend. Ashleigh Barty plays a return to Maria Sharapova during their fourth-round match. ( AP: Mark Schiefelbein The 22-year-old had every right to back her chances against former world number one Sharapova, now ranked 30 in the world, as she has shown she belongs on court with the elite of the women's game. In the build-up to the Open she chalked up a win over world number one Simona Halep on her way to the Sydney final, where she took the first set off Kvitova before losing in tiebreaker in the third. Her growing maturity was brilliantly illustrated in the third set when she ignored Sharapova's absence from the court, a delay that could have thrown a less-focused player. Barty matches Sharapova's power game With Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Rod Laver among the crowd, Barty had earlier levelled the match by racing through the second set in 32 minutes. She broke Sharapova's serve twice and importantly she curbed her unforced errors, conceding only seven as opposed to the 22 she tallied in the first set. Maria Sharapova has only reached the quarter finals of a grand slam once since her return from a doping ban. ( AP: Mark Schiefelbein Games had been on serve in the first set when Barty had a chance to break Sharapova in the eighth game, but the Russian found her composure to level at 4-4. It proved to be a missed opportunity for Barty at that stage and she was broken in the next game before Sharapova served out the set, icing it with an ace. Kvitova made the quarter-finals when she ended the run of American phenom Amanda Anisimova, aged just 17, winning 6-2, 6-1 in under an hour on Rod Laver Arena.