Ash Barty through to Australian Open fourth round, Naomi Osaka exits tournament

Ash Barty through to Australian Open fourth round, Naomi Osaka exits tournament.

Ash Barty has reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, but defending champion Naomi Osaka has been knocked out of the tournament by unseeded American Amanda Anisimova.

This is the fourth year in a row that Barty has at least reached this stage of the Australian Open.

The delay did not seem to bother Barty, who held serve in the first game and then broke Giorgi for a 2-0 lead.

Later in the set, Giorgi came close to landing a blow on Barty when she had four break points during the seventh game with the Australian leading 4-2.

The Wimbledon champion calmly served out the game to hold for a 5-2 lead, before breaking Giorgi for a second time to claim the set in 32 minutes.