Ashley Barty will carry the weight of an entire nation on her shoulders as she faces successful American Daniel Collins in the Australian Open final on Saturday (10:30), as she seeks to finish in the form of a 44-year wait for a home champion.
The world number one has lost just 21 games to reach its Premier League final at Melbourne Park and hopes to become the first local since the 1978 Australian O'Neill to win the Australian Open.
FL𝑨𝑺𝑯 Barty⚡️ @ ashbarty |
# AusOpenpic.twitter.com/EjzO9XBS60
- wta (@WTA) January 27, 2022
Barty, who won the 2019 French Open and is the reigning Wimbledon champion, continues her fitness from last year, when she is unbeaten from the start of the year and has already counted ten consecutive games without a loss, having taken the Adelaide tournament in early January.
In the way of the Australian stands Collins, who will appear in the first ever Grand Slam final of her career.
The American is a big underdog but Barty does not underestimate her.
"She's hitting an extraordinary ball," Barty said of her 28-year-old rival, who she has won in three of her previous four games, though Collins won the last in Adelaide last year.
"She's someone who stands on the baseline and can hit any points on the field from any position. I think the challenge will be to try to get her off balance. I think the way she is able to control the baseline and really take the game further, is one of the toughest competitors here."
Added.
Collins, ranked 30th in the world, continues the run of American women in the finals at Melbourne Park, after Jennifer Brady last year and Sophia Kennin in 2020, will break into the top 10 when the rankings are updated on Monday and she hopes she can finally reach her full potential after undergoing surgery Last April for the removal of a cyst the size of a tennis ball.
🔜 FINALS
Collins defeats Swiatek 6-4, 6-1 to claim her spot against Barty.
Live blog → https://t.co/UJ0E4HJ4qw@australianopen l #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/vD8k7xBt4u
- Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 27, 2022
Collins is aware that she will also have to face great crowd support for her local rival.
"I really admire Ash's online game, playing a different style in almost every player in the round. We're going to have a fight and hope to give a good show to everyone," she said.
In light of the interest in the final, the Victorian government accepted Australia's tennis request and increased the crowd capacity by 15% to 80%, with more tickets to be sold out for the final weekend.
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us