Aussie wrap, Day 5: Barty cruises into fourth round; de Minaur, Birrell bundled out

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Friday at the Australian Open belonged to Ash Barty who secured her place in the last 16 at Melbourne Park for the first time in her career.

Unfortunately, fellow Australians Alex de Minaur and Kimberly Birrell were sent packing by experienced world No. 2s Rafael Nadal and Angelique Kerber respectively.

So, with five days of the tournament in the books, only three Aussies still remain in contention for singles glory.

Ash Barty (AUS) def. Maria Sakkari
7-5, 6-1

It might have been a tentative start from both Ash Barty and her Greek opponent on Rod Laver Arena, with both players giving up early breaks in the first set under the roof, but as many have come to expect from the young Australian, her poise and clutch shot-making came through at the right time.

From 3-3, after Sakkari broke back to level the first set, both players held serve until Barty found an extra gear in the 12th game, breaking to secure the first set 7-5.

There were fears for Barty after she called for a medical timeout following the end of the first set, but any worries were quickly put aside when the 22-year-old rushed to an early second set lead.

Almost untouchable in the second, she made only four unforced errors to her opponent's 11, and thundered down five aces (bringing her match total to 13) to set up an easy victory.

Following her match, Barty downplayed concerns about the medical timeout, during which she received treatment on her hip and abdominal region.

"It was just for a bit of reassurance while I was on court," Barty said. "I've come to know my body well enough to know when I might need a bit of assistance."

Now through to her first Australian Open last 16 match, Barty will face Maria Sharapova in what she says will be another "big test" from which she won't back down.

"Sharapova is an amazing player and competitor," she said. "[But] I'm feeling more and more comfortable on the court that I can play my brand of tennis."

Rafael Nadal def. Alex de Minaur (AUS)
6-1, 6-2, 6-4

Rafael Nadal has sent a third Australian packing from the Australian Open, this time 27th seed Alex de Minaur.

There's not too many tougher tests in sport than going head-to-head with Nadal on a tennis court and on Friday night at a packed Rod Laver Arena, the 17-time Grand Slam champion showed his class, brushing aside de Minaur in straight sets.

Nadal bossed the 19-year-old from the opening game, and although de Minaur showed plenty of heart, he struggled to match the Spaniard's power and aggression. Throughout the match, Nadal hit 37 winners to de Minaur's 21, while also winning 29 additional points.

Some of de Minaur's best tennis came in the final game of the match when he rallied from 0-40 down to deuce, saving three match points in the process with some mesmerizing shots that even had Nadal in awe. He saved another two match points before Nadal eventually got the job done on the sixth attempt.

Nevertheless, de Minaur's wins over Pedro Sousa and Henri Laaksonen has netted him AU$155,000 in prize money and we're pretty sure he'll come back to Melbourne Park even stronger in 2020.

Angelique Kerber def. Kimberly Birrell (AUS)
6-1, 6-0

Queenslander Kimberly Birrell followed de Minaur onto Rod Laver Arena, but like her compatriot she was no match for her more experienced opponent.

Angelique Kerber, the 2016 Australian Open champion and world No. 2, breezed by Birrell in 58 minutes, securing her place in the fourth round where she will face American Danielle Collins.

Birrell was only able to take one game during the match. Kerber continually punished her weak second serve, with Birrell winning just five of 20 points when her first service missed the mark.

Birrell also made more unforced errors (30) than she won points (27) as Kerber showed why she is one of the favourites to take out the Australian title again.

Despite the resounding loss, Birrell can leave Melbourne with her head held high. She won her first ever Grand Slam matches and is certain to see her world ranking of No. 240 take a significant jump.