Ashleigh Barty's 4R match against Amanda Anisimova breaks Australian Open TV ratings records

Ashleigh Barty's form and status as World No. 1 meant she was the favorite to win the 2022 Australian Open even before the tournament began. Her additional credibility as an Australian has paved the way for the local sensation to break all TV ratings records at the Melbourne Major.

According to the latest numbers, Barty's 6-4, 6-3 fourth-round defeat of Amanda Anisimova was witnessed by an average of 1.6 million viewers on Channel Nine's coverage.

At its peak, more than 1.9 million Australians tuned in on Sunday to watch their compatriot stroll into the quarterfinals. This marked the highest ratings a match at the Australian Open has received to date.

To put those numbers into perspective, Novak Djokovic's victory over Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 Australian Open final pulled in 1.17 million viewers from the metropolitan cities. Barty's numbers for the same are about 1.2 million on average with a peak of 1.4 million.

The match between Pablo Carreno Busta and Matteo Berrettini that took place after the Barty-Anisimova encounter was the second-most viewed match of the day. But it pulled in less than half of the Australian TV audience, with an average of 0.5 million and a peak of 0.87 million.

The World No. 1's match against the American was not an anamoly. Her third-round encounter against Camila Giorgi on Friday was just as highly sought-after. An average of 1.34 million tuned in to witness the two-time Grand Slam champion's 6-2, 6-3 rout of the Italian. At her peak, Barty commanded an audience of more than 1.6 million.

The second biggest numbers of the day were reserved for the following game between Rafael Nadal and Karen Khachanov. An average of 0.72 million people were privy to the 20-time Grand Slam champion's straight-sets victory, with a peak audience of more than 1.2 million.

Ashleigh Barty faces Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Australian Open

Ashleigh Barty squares off against Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Australian Open

Ashleigh Barty is three matches away from winning her first Grand Slam on home soil. The first of those matches will be against another American, Jessica Pegula. The 21st seed pulled off an upset in her fourth-round fixture, beating fifth seed Maria Sakkari 7-6(0), 6-3.

Pegula reached the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Major last year as well but could not progress any further.

Barty currently leads the head-to-head against the American 1-0 and is the clear favorite to proceed to the final four. The 25-year-old is yet to drop a set in the tournament and has disposed of every opponent so far with disdain. Rest assured, her match against Pegula will draw similar TV ratings to her fourth-round encounter and possibly even more.