The noh 1 in the world of tennis, Ashleigh Barty, won her first Australian Open on Saturday by beating American Danielle Collins (30and world player) with the score of 6-3, 7-6 (7-2). The Australian thus won her third major title at the age of 25 after Roland-Garros in 2019 and Wimbledon in 2021, the first at home. It puts an end to forty-four years of drought for Australian tennis players at the Australian Open, since the victory of Chris O’Neil in 1978.
“It’s a dream come true, I’m so proud to be Australian! »launched the 25-year-old player by lifting the trophy presented by her idol Evonne Goolagong. “As an Australian, the most important thing in this tournament is to be able to share with so many people and you, the public, you have been simply exceptional”added the noh 1 in the world, a few minutes after beating Collins.
Barty won without really playing well and without being as overbearing as in the first six rounds. In the first set, she saved the only break point she conceded and converted the only one she created for herself. After thirty-two minutes, the player was halfway to the title.
Slump
But she went through a bad patch at the start of the second run. She gave up her face-off twice, double the number of games conceded in the six victories that preceded the final (a break conceded against Amanda Anisimova in the round of 16).
Trailing 5-1 by committing an unexpected number of unforced errors and double faults, Ashleigh Barty still managed to recover to come back to 5-5. Collins managed to take the match to the tie-break but the Australian quickly took the advantage, offering herself four match points and concluding from the first. Barty was participating in her ninth Australian Open and had never made it past the semi-finals, reached in 2020.
To win the title on Saturday, she defeated four Americans in her last four matches: Amanda Anisimova in the round of 16, Jessica Pegula in the quarters, Madison Keys in the semis and Danielle Collins in the final. To win her first major in 2019 at Roland-Garros, the Australian had beaten the same four players: Pegula in the first round, Collins in the second, Keys in the quarters and Anisimova in the semis. She becomes the only active player with Serena Williams to have won majors on all surfaces (hard, grass and clay).
The men’s final between the Russian Daniil Medvedev (noh 2 in the world) and the Spaniard Rafael Nadal (noh 5) is scheduled for Sunday at 7:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. Paris time).