Meet the lingerie model standing in the way of Ash Barty’s Australian Open dream: Glamorous star is a giant killer on the court and has upset three No.1 players already .
The player standing in the way of Ash Barty’s dream of winning her first ever Australian Open is an Italian fashion model with a reputation as a giant-killer on the court.
Barty’s next opponent is world number 33 Camila Giorgi, who is better known for her many fashion shoots than her tennis by many armchair fans.
Giorgi, 30, gets a lot of attention as the brand ambassador for her mother Claudia’s fashion label Giomila, where she posts glamorous portraits to her 527,000 Instagram followers.
But if Barty takes Giorgi lightly in their match on Friday, she could easily go out in a shock upset.
Giorgi is also boxing fan who has been through personal tragedy and is regarded as a giant killer and one of the most aggressive, hardest-hitting players on the women’s tour.
The 30-year-old Italian number one has previously beaten three world number ones: Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka.
Barty admits Giorgi could ‘hit her off the court’ if she isn’t switched on.
‘She has the ability to hold baseline, to control the centre of the court, be super, super aggressive off her serve and first shot, particularly off her return,’ Barty told media.
‘I’m going to have to serve well, bring in variety, make sure I can cover the court, neutralize the best that I can. She has the ability to hit you off the court without realizing it’s happening.’
The last time Barty played Giorgi, at Melbourne Park in 2018, the feisty Italian won the first set, though Barty was victorious in three.
Giorgi is tough too, having been through some huge lows that have given her perspective. Sadly, her sister Antonella died in a car crash in Paris ten years ago, the year Giorgi made her Grand Slam debut.
She has been climbing back up the world rankings in recent times, with some good results last year.
Her 2021 highlight was beating world number six Karolína Plíšková to win the 2021 Montreal title, on a hardcourt surface like the Australian Open.
Giorgi had a poor run after winning Montreal but has won five of her last six matches, including a straight sets win over the world no.47 Tereza Martincova in the second round.
Barty, who also turned fashion model this month with a Vogue magazine covershoot, easily beat another Italian, Lucia Bronzetti, in the second round.
Barty’s best Australian Open result was the 2020 tournament, when she lost int he semi-finals to the eventual winner, Sofia Kenin.