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Ashleigh Barty defeated Danielle Collins to win the Australian Open title, ending the home nation’s 44-year wait for a Grand Slam women’s singles title.
Top seed Barty fought back from 5-1 down in the second set to win 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) to lift her third major title after the 2019 French Open and last year’s Wimbledon title..
The BBC reported that the 25-year-old Queenslander has won the title without dropping a set in Melbourne this fortnight.
“This is a dream come true for me. I am so proud of being Aussie,” BBC quoted the world number one Barty as saying.
“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.”
Addressing the crowd, she added: “You relaxed me and forced me to play my best tennis. Thank you.”
Among those watching was Chris O’Neil, the last Australian to win the men’s or women’s singles title in Melbourne.
Since O’Neil’s triumph in 1978, four players – Kim Warwick, Wendy Turnbull, Pat Cash and Lleyton Hewitt – had lost in the men’s or women’s singles final, BBC reported.
