Barty ends 44 years of hurt in Aussie Open
ASHLEIGH Barty roared into the Melbourne night after exorcising 44 years of Australian pain.
By beating American Danielle Collins 6-3 7-6 (2), Barty finally ended the long reign of Chris O’Neil as the last home Australian Open singles champion way back in 1978.
The great and the good had gathered in Rod Laver Arena, with the man after whom the stadium is named joined by Hollywood superstar Russell Crowe, and Olympic heroes Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman.
If this could not quite compare to the moment in 2000 when Freeman won 400 metres gold with the eyes of the world upon her, it had a similar feel.
Barty is usually understated on and off the court but, when her final forehand flew past Collins to cap a comeback from 5-1 down in the second set, she let all her emotions out. ‘It was a little bit surreal,’ she said.
‘I think I didn’t quite know what to do or what to feel, and I think just being able to let out a little bit of emotion, which is a little bit unusual for me, and I think being able to celebrate with everyone who was there in the crowd, the energy was incredible tonight.
‘I think being able to understand how much work my team and I have done behind the scenes and over the last few years to get to this point, to be able to have this opportunity was really special. I think it just kind of all came out at once.’
Barty took her grand slam tally to three, having won the French Open in 2019 and Wimbledon last summer, and becomes the only active female player other than Serena Williams to have won major titles on three different surfaces. She has been world number one since September 2019 and, having begun last season with major question marks over the legitimacy of that position after the Covid-19 hiatus, it is now clear that Barty is not only the best player in the world by some distance but the serial young champion that many feel women’s tennis has been missing.
Barty dropped serve for only the second and third times this tournament in successive games in the second set before digging herself out of the hole.
The 25-year-old, who toasted her win with a beer on Australian TV, has always shrugged off talk of the expectation on her shoulders. She said: ‘The expectation was I would always come out and give my best, and that’s all I’ve ever done.
‘Now to be able to have this part of my dream achieved is amazing, and I think I have to really understand that that came from the processes that we put in with my team and the people that are around me because, without them, I wouldn’t be half the person that I am.’
Barty’s coach Craig Tyzzer has guided her since she took her first steps back on court in 2016 after leaving the sport as a teenager. ‘It’s an amazing feat. It’s phenomenal. To be part of it is amazing, but I’m thrilled to work with Ash,’ he said.