Ashleigh Barty Wins Australian Open Women’s Title

Ashleigh Barty can finally add the Australian Open Women’s title to her long list of achievements after defeating American Danielle Collins in back-to-back sets during the women’s finals on Saturday night.

Barty, who became the first Australian in 44 years to win a singles title, celebrated the achievement by yelling, “Yes….Yes!” . Shortly after, the No. 1 ranked player congratulated American Danielle Collins, shook the hand of the umpire and again, yelled out, “Yes….Yes!

The top-ranked Aussie won the opening set 6-3, and after going down 5-1 in the second, it looked like she would forfeit the set. However, Barty managed to recover and won her first home Grand Slam tournament with a 7-6 second set victory.

The moment was not lost on the 25-year old after seeing who was on hand to present her with the trophy. The last Australian to win a singles title, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, was secretly flown into the Rod Laver Arena for the awards ceremony.

Taken back at seeing her mentor, Ashleigh Barty graciously accepted the trophy before giving Cawley a big hug. After missing the tournament in 2015 and 2016, the pressure of now off the no.1 ranked player in the world.

“It was a little bit surreal, I didn’t quite know what to do or what to feel — just being able to let out a little bit of emotion, which is a little bit unusual for me, and being able to celebrate with everyone who was there in the crowd, the energy was incredible. This is just a dream come true for me, I’m just so proud to be an Aussie.”

Australian Open TV

The win puts Barty in an esteemed group of players who have won Grand Slam titles on three surfaces. Serena Williams is the only other player currently playing on the tour to win Grand Slams on three surfaces.

Goolagong Cawley, who took Barty under her wing after noticing her talent at a young age, won the French Open at the tender age of 19 and racked up four Australian Open titles. For Barty, she stated she was “Very lucky to be able to give her a hug in some of the biggest moments in my life.”

” To be able to experience that together on such a big occasion, on such a beautiful court, and in a tournament that means so much to both of us — it was really nice to have her there just as someone to lean on when I wasn’t really sure what to do.”

The tournament was a smashing success for Barty, who only gave up one service game throughout the Open. Collins became the fourth American to lose to the Australian this tournament in straight sets. The others included 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, and Amanda Anisimova.

Collins had to fight hard to make it to the finals after struggling against Clara Tauson in the third round. The American, who struggled with back problems throughout the tournament, lost the first set and took a commanding lead in the second.

At one point. Danielle Collins was within two points of forcing a third set, but her momentum was lost after Barty won the seventh match with a hard-drive return down the line. After questioning the call, she was booed by the crowds.

After Barty won the seventh game, it seemed like she was re-energized. Barty went on to win five of the last six games and was dominant during the tiebreaking match. It definitely helped to have the crowds in her favour.

“This crowd is one of the most fun I’ve ever played in front of, you relaxed me, forced me to play my best tennis.”

Before Barty’s win on Saturday, her best performance at the Australian Open was a semifinal loss to Sofia Kenin in 2020. The significance of her making the final was not lost on those in attendance, who proudly waved both the Australian flag and red, black and yellow Aboriginal flag.

The final even brought out fellow Aussie. Cathy Freeman, a 400-metre gold medal winner at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. She was amongst those proudly waving both flags, just like she did while celebrating her gold medal victory.

Collins, whose best performance at the Australian Open was at the 2019 semifinals, took the opportunity to thank for boyfriend Joe Vollen and her mentor, Marty Schneider. While showing a rare show of emotion, she said,

“Thank you for believing in me, I haven’t had a ton of people believing me in my career. I was pushed to the max, and I gave myself a chance. So it was a great event for me. Accomplished some new things. Learned a lot of new things.”

The WTA Tour now moves on to St. Petersburg, Russia, for the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy before heading to Dubai for the Dubai Duty-Free Tenis Championship. For punters wanting to claim a bonus for the next Grand Slam Tournament, they will have to wait until the 2022 French Open in May.