Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 13, 2021 Australia's Ashleigh Barty in action during her third round match against Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova REUTERS/Kelly Defina
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - World number one Ash Barty overcame a stumbling start to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova at an empty Margaret Court Arena on Saturday.
The 24-year-old would have expected the backing of a fiercely partisan crowd for a weekend evening match at her home Grand Slam, but Melbourne's five-day lockdown left her playing in front of officials, ballkids and coaches.
