Former world number one explains how Indonesian WTA star plays like Ash Barty

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Ash Barty has gone down in WTA history for her achievements on the court, which includes three Grand Slam titles.

Barty returned to the Australian Open this year for an exhibition with Roger Federer and other legends, much to the delight of the fans in Melbourne.

She clinched her third and final Grand Slam title at her home event, following her success at the 2019 French Open and at Wimbledon in 2021.

Former WTA number one Barty won her Wimbledon final against Karolina Pliskova, who is currently impressing at the Australian Open.

You can bring one tennis legend out of retirement. Who do you pick and why?

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Karolina Pliskova compares Janice Tjen to Ash Barty

Pliskova, who is also a former world number one, has just battled her way into round three after beating Janice Tjen.

And when asked how familiar she was with the Indonesian ace ahead of the match, she said: “Yeah, not much, to be honest.

“I actually, like, never saw her before, but obviously, we did our preparation for the match, so I knew her style. She’s a little bit like Barty, like, playing. She reminds me a lot of her. So it wasn’t easy.

“Nobody likes this kind of game, because there is a lot of slices, great forehand, good serve. But, yeah, I think I did well.”

Currently ranked 59th on the WTA Tour, 23-year-old Tjen has a career-high rank of 53, and claimed her only title to date in Chennai last season.

Karolina Pliskova to meet Madison Keys in Australian Open blockbuster

Pliskova is right to praise Tjen, but she also deserves massive credit herself for her latest efforts on the court.

The Czech veteran has had a torrid time with injuries in recent years, one of the main reasons why she has dropped out of the WTA top 1,000.

But she has returned to the Australian Open with a bang, with Pliskova beating Sloane Stephens in round one of the tournament.

Stephens won the 2017 US Open final against fellow American Madison Keys, who Pliskova will incidentally meet in round three.

The American ninth seed is undoubtedly the favorite to come out on top in that meeting, having won the Australian Open in 2025.

But the underdog status should play into the hands of her opponent, who could face yet another American in Jessica Pegula if she pulls off an upset in Melbourne.