The world No. 8 defeated Petkovic with impressive straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.
The 23-year-old has emerged with a strong chance of taking the French Open title. Simona Halep remains one of the only higher-ranked players left in the competition.
If Barty is successful in Paris, she will take home her maiden grand slam title. She would also become the first Australian to win a French Open since Margaret Court claimed her fifth in 1973.
We love Sunday afternoon drama 😳😂👏🏽🎾👯♀️ @vika7
📸 : @JJlovesTennis pic.twitter.com/lIZRRkCapJ— Ash Barty (@ashbar96) June 2, 2019
World No. 1 Naomi Osaka and powerhouse Serena Williams have both been unexpectedly knocked out of the running for the title. This has cleared the path for Barty to advance, as she was expected to come up against Williams in the fourth round.
“For me it’s easy not to look ahead,” Barty said in the post-match press conference. “I can only control how I prepare, how I play, and ultimately how we go about my next match.”
Barty has had a smashing year on the court.
In January, she pulled off a stunning victory against former world no.1 Maria Sharapova. She then went on to reach the Australian Open quarter finals, a significant feat for the then 22-year-old. A few months later, she won the Miami Open, a career milestone that consolidated her Top 10 world ranking.
On Monday night, Barty plays 20-year-old American Sofia Kenin, who just defeated Serena Williams 6-2, 7-5, knocking the tennis star out of the French Open.
An honor to share the court with you @serenawilliams !
See you next week @rolandgarros
My emotions said it all yesterday.. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you enough for yesterday ❤️ This means everything, and the world to me 🥰 pic.twitter.com/8BlkIbqy4j— Sofia Kenin (@SofiaKenin) June 2, 2019