Ash Barty defeats Danielle Collins to win her third Grand Slam of her career

 

 

No. 1 Ashleigh Barty beat Danielle Collins 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) in the Australian Open women’s final in Melbourne on Saturday, becoming the first Australian woman to win the women’s singles title since 1978. Barty, 25, didn’t drop a single set on her way to winning her third Grand Slam championship (2021 Wimbledon, 2019 French Open).

In Saturday’s final, Barty won the first set in 32 minutes over American Collins, but had to come back from a 1-5 second-set deficit to triumph in a tiebreaker. Despite her 5-5 record, Barty is a strong server who ended with 10 aces (compared to Collins’ one) and won 82 percent of her first serve points (against Collins’ 63 percent). Barty won seven of nine games in the tiebreak and claimed the championship point with a forehand passing stroke.

“This is just a dream come true for me and I’m so proud to be an Aussie,” Barty said in her post-match interview. “As an Aussie, the most important part of this tournament is being able to share it with so many people. You guys today in the crowd have been nothing shy of exceptional. This crowd is one of the most fun I’ve ever played in front of and you guys brought me so much joy out here today.”