Ash Barty’s Party

2022 Australian Open - Day Thirteen 

Women’s Singles final:

Ashleigh Barty (1) (Australia) v Danielle Collins (27) (USA)

Barty, champion at Roland Garros 2019 and Wimbledon 2021, was in her first Australian Open final.

Collins, AO semi finalist in 2020, was in her first final of any major.

Collins had lost her first three matches against Barty, but won the most recent - Adelaide round of sixteen in 2021.

Final:

The most significant game of set one was the fifth, where Barty led 40-15.

Collins’ backhand winner, and two Barty forehand errors produced a break point for the American.

Barty saved it with a winning forehand, and she held serve, punctuated with an ace.

Next game, Collins appeared to lose rhythm, and Barty exploited the lack of solid shot making to that point Collins had displayed.

A break chance arrived, and the 27th seed double faulted.

Barty needed to hold two serves to take the set - she lost just one point in those games and that was a double fault.

The set was won by the Australian 6-3, the final point an ace.

The momentum shifted dramatically in set two, with Barty dropping serve for only the second time in the tournament.

It was in game two, where a load of forehands went astray, leaving Barty facing two break points. An ace saved one, but Collins broke with a forehand winner.

Two double faults in game six from Barty gifted a second service break, and Collins at 5-1 was serving for the set.

Barty’s comeback was unexpected, but clinical. The top seed won four successive games, twice breaking Collins as the American served for the set, and a tie break was required.

Once Barty took the first point when Collins’ forehand failed, it all fell to pieces for Danielle. She had given up a point on her own serve, and Barty seized on that opportunity. It was 4-0 in a flash, and 5-1 at change of ends. Two of the points were Barty forehand winners and her confidence was growing as that of her opponent’s was wilting.

At 6-2, with four championship points, Barty delighted the stadium with another forehand winner to complete the contest.

Ash Barty won her third Grand Slam tournament, and first Australian Open 6-3 7-6(2).