Ashleigh Barty keeps Australian Open dreams alive after cruising to victory over Jessica Pegula

Thanks for joining us as always. That was very impressive from Barty. She will be very tough to stop now.

There's still one more match tonight and you can join me here for it.

That was solid tonight. I was able to serve and find a lot of forehands in the center of the court. I was happy to take the game on. Be aggressive off my forehand, not worry that I miss a couple, so long as I’m doing the right things.

???????? CLINICAL ????????@ashbarty defeats Jessica Pegula 6-2 6-0 in 63 minutes to advance to another #AusOpen semifinal.#AO2022 pic.twitter.com/8YoG2KKdXK

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2022

Pegula return long, 15-0. Barty forehand winner down the line, 30-0. Pegula return error, 40-0. Barty forehand long, 40-15. GAME>SET>MATCH! 

The world No 1 completes victory as Pegula's backhand flies long. Barty put on a clinic today. 

The frustration is written all over Pegula's face as she is pegged back from 40-0 to deuce again. Another error gives Barty a break point. 

And Barty moves a game away from the set when Pegula nets a defensive forehand.

Forehand winner to start the game for Barty. Pegula is just wide with a forehand up the line, 30-0. WIth an open court, Barty inexplicably puts a backhand long. She then double faults, 30-30.

Pegula is missing by small margins but it's still costly, this time her forehand is just long. 

And Barty holds with a forehand winner.

Pegula has lost six games in a row and it is showing in her body language and play.

A wild overhead that flies long won't make her feel any better, break point Barty. 

Barty's backhand has killed Pegula today and it draws another error from the American to get the double break.

Confidence is flowing through Barty now as she moves to 30-0. Pegula responds with a forehand winner to make it 30-15. But Barty hits back with her own forehand winner and then an ace to finish.

Pegula nets a backhand, 30-30. Big point coming up.

Great rally, Pegula defends well but she puts a backhand down the line into the tramlines off a Barty overhead. Break point.

Barty nets a forehand return. Surprising miss that. Pegula forehand into the net, second break chance.

Shot Pegula! Excellent backhand winner up the line. Pegula forehand long, third break chance. Pegula ace, her first of the match, great time for it.

Pegula nets another volley after Barty's backhand pass. Break point No 4. And Barty finally gets the break.

Pegula has a chance to win the point but hits her volley straight at Barty, who defends with a deep lob. Barty comes forward and on her second overhead finishes the game.

Barty races to 40-0 and three set points and she takes the opening set 6-2 in 35 minutes.

The set slipped away from Pegula in the last 10 minutes.

Both players taking big swings at the ball in this phase of the match and it's leading to a lot of errors.

Barty brings Pegula to the net with another backhand slice and drills a backhand passing shot which Pegula can't handle.

Pegula nets a volley, break point. And that Barty backhand slice does the trick again as it brings another error from Pegula.

Barty to serve for the set next.

Barty's play has been a bit erratic and another backhand error makes it 15-30. Gutsy second serve by Barty and Pegula nets a backhand return. 

Another Pegula return error gives Barty game point and she takes it when her forehand down the line is too much for her opponent.

Pegula is coming forward a lot today as she tries to mix up her game. But a drop volley flies long to make it deuce.

Barty just goes for too much with her forehand having taken control of the point. And Pegula holds again after a Barty error.

Scrappy game by Barty and she double faults to make it deuce. But she doesn't let that affect her as she hits a drive volley winner.

Break point Pegula as Barty's cross court forehand clips the top of the net and flies wide. Pegula gets a second serve but she nets the backhand return. Big chance missed.

Class from Barty as she plays a short backhand slice to bring Pegula forward and get the error. Barty nets another backhand slice.

After a bit of a struggle, Barty gets the job done finally.

How to time things to perfection with @ashbarty ????

????: @wwos • @espn • @Eurosport • @wowowtennis #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/nV9mfyD6zL

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2022

A chance for Barty to make it 30-30 but she puts attempted forehand down the line long, 40-15. 

Barty is using her slice beautifully to move Pegula side to side and when the American counters with her own slice, she nets.

But Pegula gets on the board when Barty puts a return long.

An ace to start from Barty and another finish a hold to 15 and consolidate the break.

Opening point goes to Pegula as a backhand slice from Barty drifts long. She then keeps herself in the rally and whips a crosscourt forehand winner.

Barty unforced error makes it 40-0. First point for Barty after Pegula nets a low volley.

Barty's slice will be key today and she gains the error from Pegula. From a strong position, Pegula is in trouble as she nets a volley again. Poor shot that.

Barty seizes the momentum and gets her forehand into play and earns a break point. Barty backhand slice into the net. Deuce.

Deep Barty return then mid court forehand winner earns a second break point. And she breaks when Pegula nets a backhand.

...the players are on court and warming up. Pegula won the toss and opts to serve first.

A mouth-watering #AusOpen match-up on Rod Laver Arena ????#EmiratesFlyBetterMoments • @emirates • #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/18i50hMi4p

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2022

Nadal's win earlier didn't come without a bit of controversy. Read Simon Briggs' report here.

The winner of this match will play Madison Keys on Thursday for a place in Saturday's final.

Madison Keys said she is enjoying her underdog status after reaching her first Grand Slam semi-final in four years with an upset of fourth seed Barbora Krejcikova.

Keys continued her strong start to the season on Rod Laver Arena as she toppled the French Open champion 6-3 6-2 under the Melbourne sun to return to the semi-finals in Australia for only the second time.

The 26-year-old, who won only 11 matches in a dismal 2021 season, is on a 10-match winning streak this year and won the Adelaide International 2 warm-up tournament earlier this month.

"It's been kind of nice to be the underdog for the first time in a long time," said the American.

"I honestly feel pretty neutral ... I have gone into every match thinking I can absolutely win any match that I'm out on the court."

Keys previously made the semi-finals in Melbourne as a 19-year-old in 2015, where she lost to eventual winner and 23-time major champion Serena Williams.

"I'm a little bit more prepared this time around than I was all those years ago," Keys said. "I would say it mostly feels different because I'm seven years older and it's not my first semi-final of a Slam.

"I think you take the experience out of it, I know I'm going to feel nervous, I know I'm going to be excited.

"But it's also a completely different situation, time and person, all of that. I think you take the experience that you have from those moments and you try to apply it, but you also know that it's going to be a completely different challenge."

Rafael Nadal is through to the semi-finals of the men's draw after beating Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3.

The Spaniard seemed to be battling a stomach issue in the middle of the match but his will to win remains stronger than ever.

Hello and welcome to coverage of the opening match of the night session on day nine of the Australian Open between Ashleigh Barty and Jessica Pegula.

The Australian world number one has become a master at luring rivals into hitting shots too testing to make, says David Witt, a long-time hitting partner of Venus Williams and now coach of Pegula.

"I think Ash tries to bait you into kind of going for shots maybe that you shouldn't go for," Witt said. "I think a lot more people have unforced errors against her because she's very smart at how she plays."

Barty approaches tennis like a chess master studies a game. Every move is designed to set her up for the next play, particularly when it comes to her service games.

"It's not always trying to hit it as hard as I can. Rarely am I redlining, hitting a serve as hard as I can," she said.

"It's more about the placement, thinking about what kind of return I'm going to get to try to set up the rest of the point."

The 25-year-old wants to make her opponents uncomfortable, knowing that if she can unsettle their rhythm the errors will flow more frequently.

"That's the chess game that we play," she said. "You go out there and have fun with it, see who can execute better on the day, and that's about all there is to it."

In her two most recent outings on Rod Laver Arena, Barty has been able to draw errors from Amanda Anisimova and Camila Giorgi on critical points to progress.

Barty, who is seeking to become the first local since Chris O'Neil in 1978 to win the Australian Open, had half the amount of unforced errors of Anisimova in their fourth-round match.

It was a similar scenario against Giorgi, with the Italian striking 24 unforced errors compared to the 13 of the reigning Wimbledon champion when trying to hit her off the court.

The gap was less pronounced in her opening two wins against Lesia Tsurenko and Lucia Bronzetti, but that was in part due to the Australian's dominance in those matches.

Pegula, who was among those beaten by Barty at Roland Garros in her run to the championship in 2019, is aware of the challenge ahead of her on Rod Laver Arena.

"I feel like Ash is so tactical in everything she does. (She is) really a smart ... perfect kind of tennis player in that way," she said.

The 27-year-old was a quarter-finalist in Melbourne last year and could leave Australia this year as America's top-ranked woman. But it will be a challenge.

"You've got to beat the best to be the best, so Ash is definitely the best right now," Witt said. "She's got a tough match."