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The world No.1 outplayed the potentially dangerous Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-3 7-5 on Saturday, stepping her game up a significant notch after two fairly comfortable but much more uneven performances against Carla Suarez Navarro and Anna Blinkova.

This was much more like it, with the Australian dominating a potentially tricky opponent and stuttering only briefly with the winning line in sight, when she dropped her delivery for just the second time while serving for the match at 5-4.

After then earning an immediate break back, courtesy of a delightful drop shot-lob combination, Barty made no mistake second time around.

The top seed got the job done after one hour 37 minutes to earn a last-16 place just as she had done in the previous edition in 2019.

"I've been very spoilt so far, enjoying absolutely every second I've been able to play on Centre Court," said Barty about the rare privilege of being granted three first-week outings there.

"Today's match was a little bit better again with the level. I felt like I was able to control more of the match and kind of bring it back to my patterns more often. I felt like I was able to use my serve effectively today.

"Overall happy with another solid performance, happy to be able to play some good stuff."

She was also glad her injury rehabilitation routine, following the hip problem which had ruined Roland Garros for her, had worked so well over the first week.

"It's a routine to try to manage my body as best as possible. I feel great. Physically I feel good. I trust my body. I trust my game," she said.

Barty had been put under a little pressure early on against the in-form Siniakova, who'd reached a grass-court final in Bad Homburg pre-Wimbledon and the Czech signalled the danger with an early break point.

But the Queenslander's all-court mastery quickly saw her take control, a knifing slice cut just over the net which proved impossible for world No.64 Siniakova to dig out, earning her the crucial break for 4-2.

She delivered the second of her eight aces in the match to serve out the set to love, although Siniakova battled to stay with her in the second and provided a few nervy moments when she broke for 5-5.

On Monday, Barty - who served eight aces and hammered 26 winners - will meet Siniakova's doubles partner, French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, who had earlier on Saturday extended her win streak to 15 matches in a tough three-setter with Latvian Anastasija Sevastova

"She's had an exceptional last couple months," Barty said of Krejcikova, who she's known since they both played the 2011 Wimbledon junior event that the Australian won.

Roared on by a small but vociferous Australian contingent amid a crowd which was not as big as usual with England's football men just about to start their European Championship quarter-final tie against Ukraine.

Asked about her compatriots' chants of support at the changeovers, she smiled: "It's better than the English telling me the football's on!

"This is the wrong season of football for us. The round ball when Australia's not playing - excuse if this sounds a bit rude - but it doesn't interest me!

"I'll keep watching our Aussie Rules football - but it's certainly nice to hear some Aussie voices."

© AAP 2021

IMAGE CREDIT: Carine06 from UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

NSW is in a critical phase of its two week lockdown, with cases uncovered in the coming days to help determine if stay-at-home orders affecting millions of people have to be extended.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Saturday it was "too soon" to tell whether the lockdown of Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains and Wollongong will be extended beyond July 9.

The state recorded 35 local virus cases in the 24 hours to 8pm Friday, bringing the current outbreak to 261 cases.

While it's the highest daily case number since the state's first wave in early 2020, the majority of cases have been in isolation for their entire infectious period.

"If all of us continue to do the right thing, we're able to leave the lockdown in a timely way. The next few days will be telling," Ms Berejiklian said.

On Friday, she said authorities wanted to see a rise in the proportion of new cases that were already in isolation, with the next several days critical to the lockdown effort.

Authorities listed a string of new exposure sites across Sydney on Friday and Saturday.

The latest cases show the epicentre of the outbreak has shifted from the city's east, to the western and southwestern suburbs.

Anyone who has been in the centre of Auburn in Sydney's west since June 27 is being told to get tested, even if they don't have symptoms.

Meanwhile NSW has lifted stay-at-home orders for travellers from Western Australia, the Northern Territory and parts of Queensland as restrictions in those states and territories have eased.

But visitors to NSW from Brisbane and Moreton Bay must remain at home, as must anyone in the Greater Sydney area.

© AAP 2021