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via Reuters

via Reuters

Ashleigh Barty has had a dream start to the 2022 season. The Australian began the new season on a winning note by clinching the double in the Adelaide International 1 tournament before the Australian Open. Further, she has continued her winning momentum in the opening Grand Slam of the season.

The 25-year-old is into the semifinals of the ‘Happy Slam’, dominating each of her matches en route (yet to drop a single set). Barty was seen enjoying the game of Cricket before her crunch semifinal encounter against Madison Keys of the USA tomorrow.

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Ashleigh Barty shows off her cricketing skills

The 2-time Grand Slam champion was seen displaying her all-round cricketing skills. In a video shared by the Australian Open on their official Twitter handle, Ashleigh Barty was seen keeping the wickets. She looked like a thorough professional and reacted swiftly when the ball missed the batter’s outside edge.

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Further, she took up the challenge of batting and played a handsome-looking on-drive to an overpitched delivery and was solid in defense to a good-length delivery. Next up, she decided to roll her arm over and took to bowling medium pace. She bowled accurate lines and lengths and didn’t allow the batsman any room to operate. Further, she even dished out a bouncer towards the batsman.

For those familiar with Barty’s career trajectory, this comes as no surprise; the Australian left professional tennis for a while to pursue a career in cricket. She competed in the Big Bash League for Brisbane Heat.

Ashleigh Barty’s Australian Open 2022 journey

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The Australian is one of the most in-form players in women’s tennis currently. Not only has she won each of her matches at the Australian Open 2022, but also has dominated her opponents and allowed little breathing space for them. Barty has been extremely strong on her serves, getting broken just once in the five matches played so far.

via Reuters

She next faces the challenge of Madison Keys of the USA in the semifinals, who has proved to be a giant killer in this tournament. The match is scheduled to take place tomorrow at the Rod Laver Arena. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this intriguing battle.

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Can Ashleigh Barty claim her maiden Australian Open title this year? Let us know your views in the comments below.