Ashleigh Barty of Australia competes during the women's 4th round match between Maria Sharapova of Russia and Ashleigh Barty of Australia at the 2019 Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
MELBOURNE, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Aussie youngster Ash Barty has made the quarterfinal stage of the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday with an epic three-set victory over five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.
Battling back from one set down against the Russian, the 22-year-old looked to counteract the power hitting of Sharapova by rushing the net and working the ball around the court through her pinpoint accurate crosscourt forehand.
In the end, the strategy paid off and Barty fought back in the last two sets to win the round four match 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
"She (Sharapova) is an absolute champion -- she was never going to go away. So I knew that I just had to keep chipping away," Barty said.
"I know that I can match it with the best, and when I execute I know that I can."
"This is unreal -- playing on this beautiful court in front of a packed house, there's nothing better."
For the first time ever in her short career, Barty will now play in the quarterfinal stage of a Grand Slam tournament against two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova.
