Ashleigh Barty defeated Lesia Tsurenko 5–7, 6–1, 6–1 in the first round of the Australian Open on hard court on 20 January 2020. As the heavy favourite with odds of 1.04, Barty's victory followed expectations, though she was pushed hard in the opening set before reasserting control. Tsurenko, a significant underdog at 13.93, competed well early but could not sustain her level as the home favourite found her rhythm in the second and third sets. The Australian's dominant performance in the latter stages—dropping just two games across two sets—demonstrated the quality gap between the seeded player and her opponent. The result marked a solid start to Barty's campaign on home soil at Melbourne Park.