Ash’s top ambition
DESPITE having eight women with a better ranking than her at the Brisbane International, Ash Barty says she counts herself among the title chances to win her home state tournament.
Barty will not be one of the eight seeds unless one of them withdraws from the tournament, which starts at the Queensland Tennis Centre on Sunday week.
But Ipswich’s world No.17 believes she is laying a strength and conditioning base in her short off-season to withstand a busy three-tournament Aussie summer where scrutiny of her will be at its highest so far.
Three of the seeds, Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza, world No.4 Karolina Pliskova and ninth-ranked Johanna Konta, lost matches to Barty amid her breakout 2017.
“I have to go into every tournament thinking I’m a chance of winning otherwise I’m just filling in the numbers and wasting the tournament director’s space,’’ Barty said after practising at Pat Rafter Arena yesterday.
“I feel great. We’ve been training well.
“I’m not a seed so I can draw
anyone. I have to be ready from the first ball.
“I will be. I’m excited – this is always a special tournament for me to start the year, before friends and family and on this beautiful court. I’d love the conditions here, but it’s a really strong tournament.’’
Twelve top-20 women entered the Brisbane International, after which Barty will play the Sydney International and Australian Open before Australia’s Fed Cup tie against the Ukraine in February.
Barty has augmented her $US1.4 million in prizemoney this year by entering into new endorsements with three companies, Rado watches, Vegemite and Toyota.
The 21-year-old was selected recently for an international team of Rado YoungStars ambassadors also including Brisbane male entrants, American Jared Donaldson and South Korean Hyeon Chung.