Cincinnati: Barty through, Venus next

Ash Barty has set up a second-round match against Venus Williams in Cincinnati after the Aussie qualifier continued her excellent form on US hard courts.

Cincinnati, OH, USA, 16 August 2017 | AAP

Ashleigh Barty in action in Miami in March; Getty Images

Ashl Barty beat Varvara Lepchenko 6-4 6-4 on Tuesday to progress to the second round at the Cincinnati WTA event.

Australian Barty, the world No.48, needed one hour and 24 minutes to beat her American opponent in their first career meeting. Both women earned a start in the tournament through qualifying.

Barty will now play No.9 seed Venus Williams in the second round, after Williams beat fellow American Alison Riske 6-2 6-0, also on Tuesday.

https://twitter.com/ashbar96/status/897581034761584648

Julia Goerges beat No.10 seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-4 in their first-round clash while Dominika Cibulkova also progressed after she beat Ana Konjuh 5-7 7-5 6-2.

The other Australian woman in the singles draw at Cincinnati, Daria Gavrilova, won her first-round match on Monday against Kristina Mladenovic.