How cricket helped tennis star Barty over sticky wicket

Australia's Ashleigh Barty believes a decision to take a break from tennis and play professional cricket revived her career, giving her the drive to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final in Melbourne this week.

Barty will became the first local hope to play in the last eight at the Australian Open in a decade when she faces Czech rival Petra Kvitova on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old has already claimed her biggest scalp yet with a three-set triumph over five-time major champion Maria Sharapova on Sunday in front of a frenzied Melbourne Park crowd.

But Barty's career was in crisis a few years ago, when the Queenslander walked away from the sport she had played since she was a toddler.

Jaded with the constant travel and loneliness of being on tour, as well as the pressure from Australian fans desperate for Grand Slam success, Barty decided tennis was not for her.

She retired and in 2014 made the stunning announcement that she would instead play professional cricket in Brisbane, preferring a team ..