Barty ends long wait for Australian Open title
January 29, 2022
It was 44 years in the making, but it ultimately took Ashleigh Barty 87 minutes to become the first home winner of the Australian Open since Christine O'Neil in 1978. The world No. 1 beat Danielle Collins in straight sets 6-3, 7-6, further cementing her growing status as Australia's tennis darling.
"It's been one of my favorite experiences," she said in front of a near-12,000 strong crowd at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. "As an Aussie, the most important part of this tournament has been being able to share this experience with the fans. This crowd is one of the most fun I've played in front of.
"This is a dream come true for me. I am so proud of being Aussie."
Passing of the torch
Barty's performances on home soil over the past three years had seen her feature in two quarterfinals either side of a semifinal appearance in 2020. All the questions coming into the final were how she would fare carrying a nation's expectations.
The 25-year-old talked of "embracing" the pressure and was commanding in the first set in front of a home crowd that fittingly included O'Neil, the last Australian to win the men's or women's singles title in Melbourne.
During a near flawless week of tennis, the Queenslander had dropped only 21 games on her way to the final. In the second set though, she had to come from 5-1 down to claim victory, succeeding where the likes of Samantha Stosur and Pat Rafter had fallen short.
Adding her home crown to the titles she won at the French Open in 2019 and Wimbledon in 2021, Barty is now only the second active player on the WTA Tour alongside Serena Williams to have won titles on three surfaces.
Her remarkable rise to the pinnacle of women's tennis has seen Barty sat atop the world rankings for going on three years now — an era of dominance comparable to Williams.
Following in her idol's footsteps
As a representative of Australia's Indigenous community, Barty's success has allowed her to be a proponent of public discourse on racial inequality beyond the court.
Her idol and mentor Evonne Goolagong Cawley — a seven-time Grand Slam champion — was the last Indigenous player to win the tournament in 1977. Goolagong Cawley handed Barty the Daphne Akhurst Trophy with another Indigenous legend, Sydney 2000 Olympics 400m gold medal winner Cathy Freeman, watching on.
"Looking up at the end and seeing Cathy, I mean she's an inspiration, she's been an inspiration to so many people all around the world, but for our heritage, our family, she's just the best," said Barty. "To be able to share that tonight with Evonne and Cathy, it's a night I'll never forget."