Ash Barty went down in straight sets to world No. 48 Sara Sorribes Tormo today. Photo / AP
Ash Barty went down in straight sets to world No. 48 Sara Sorribes Tormo today. Photo / AP
Australian tennis star Ash Barty has suffered a shock loss in the first round of the Olympics singles draw, going down in straight sets to world No 48 Sara Sorribes Tormo.
The Spaniard stunned her Aussie rival 6-4 6-3 as Barty looked all at sea.
Tennis commentator Jose Morgado saidthe reigning Wimbledon champion was "all over the place", while American sports reporter Timothy Burke tweeted: "Ash Barty is playing the worst tennis I've seen her play in quite a while."
Journalist John Baldock said: "I've never seen more unforced errors from Ash in a single set of tennis as in the 2nd."
Barty rebounded early in the second set as she found her feet, breaking for the first time to bring the match back on serve to keep her hopes alive.
But at 3-3 Sorribes Tormo broke again, then consolidated for 5-3. Serving to stay in the match, Barty faltered badly and bombed out.
The World No 1's wobbles came after she and Storm Sanders dominated their opening round doubles match on Saturday, thumping the Japanese pairing of Nao Hibino and Makoto Ninomiya 6-1 6-2 in 50 minutes.
From winning Wimbledon in front of a packed house and famous faces – including Tom Cruise – then making small talk with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the scene couldn't have been more different in Tokyo.
Playing doubles on an outside court with the capacity to hold less than 250 spectators, a total of nine people sat in the stands for the first point of her doubles match on Saturday.
For anyone who'd seen Barty lift the trophy at the All England Club earlier this month, her Olympic experience was just plain weird.
Barty was given a bigger stage on Sunday for her singles opener as she stepped onto Centre Court, but the empty stands still gave her match an eerie feeling.
The Queenslander was hoping to win two gold medals in Tokyo and entered the women's singles draw as perhaps Australia's best chance of an individual gold since tennis was readmitted as an Olympic sport in the 1980s.
Australia hasn't had an individual medallist since Molik snared bronze in Athens 2004 and our only gold was won by the Woodies in the doubles in 1996.
