Barty makes winning return in Melbourne
A Day at the Drive Exhibition
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – World number one Ash Barty marked her return to competitive tennis after almost a year out with a 6-3 6-3 win over Romania’s Ana Bogdan in the second round of Yarra Valley Classic on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old Australian had not played a competitive match since last February due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opting to skip the U.S. Open and not defend her title at the rescheduled French Open in September.
Barty went down narrowly to world number two Simona Halep in last week’s exhibition event in Adelaide but was back to winning ways on Tuesday, facing a single breakpoint on her serve in the match.