Ash Barty Marks First Nations Day With Easy Win in Australia

Ash Barty of Australia reacts as she is interviewed after defeating Lucia Bronzetti of Italy in their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 19, 2022. Andy Brownbill/AP Photo

MELBOURNE, Australia—Ash Barty was front and center when the Australian Open celebrated its inaugural First Nations Day.

Albeit not for very long. The top-ranked Barty has Indigenous heritage and her second-round match at Melbourne Park’s main stadium on Wednesday was among the features of a program dedicated to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia.