Barty on guard after blitzing into last 32

Barty continued her scorching summer to surge into the third round with a 6-1 6-1 blitz of Italian qualifier Lucia Bronzetti on Wednesday.

Australia's world No.1 has dropped just three games and needed less than two hours on court to motor into the last 32 at Melbourne Park.

Her serve once again supreme, Barty hasn't been broken for 48 consecutive games stretching to her opening match of the season against Coco Gauff in Adelaide.

It's no coincidence, with Barty revealing she'd spent endless hours hitting thousands of serves with coach Craig Tyzzer to further develop "the one shot in tennis you have full control over".

"Just continually trying to try and make it a weapon," Barty said.

"I'm not the biggest girl out there, but I know I've got a sound technique and I know if I can get my rhythm right and use it effectively, it can be a weapon.

"'Tyz' and I put a lot of emphasis on my serve, I always have as a kid. I was always serving baskets and baskets of serves to try to create that weapon, try to create a really sound shot.

"It's the one shot in tennis that you have full control over. That's how you get to start the point so it's more about trying to start it on my terms as regularly as I can."

Once in control on Wednesday, Barty was able to pound Bronzetti from corner to corner, eventually, inevitably forcing the Italian into error - if an outright winner from the top seed didn't come before that.

Barty, though, is acutely aware that playing a qualifier ranked 142nd in the world is a different proposition to taking on Bronzetti's vastly more-experienced compatriot and 30th seed Camila Giorgi.

It's Giorgi on Friday who stands in the Wimbledon champion's path to the second week of the Open for a fourth straight year.

"She's an incredible ball striker, one of the most athletic girls out here," Barty said.

"She's not afraid to stand on the baseline and really put you under high pressure from the first strike.

"I will have to have my running shoes on, get the backhand slice out and bring in variation and see how it goes."

Barty also knows her serve must continue being on song against an opponent who pushed her to three sets in Melbourne four years ago.

"Some very different challenges to what I've had the last couple matches," she said.

"She has the ability to hold baseline, to control the centre of the court, be super, super aggressive off her serve and first shot, particularly off her return.

"It's going to be a match where I'm going to have to serve well, bring in variety, make sure I can cover the court, neutralise the best that I can.

"She has the ability to hit you off the court without realising it's happening."

Australian Associated Press