Ashleigh Barty erased a 5-1 loss in the second set to win the Australian Open final 6-3, 7-6 (2) over American Danielle Collins on Saturday night, ending a drought of 44 years without triumph of an Australian in women’s singles of this Grand Slam tournament.
The best player in the world, Barty won the first set with a single break of service against Collins, the 27th seed of the tournament.
However, the 28-year-old American reacted quickly, breaking in the second and sixth games of the second set to build a 5-1 cushion. So far, Barty had lost serve only once in the previous six rounds.
On a roll, Collins had two chances to complete the set on his serve and push this final of a Grand Slam tournament, the first of his career, towards a third and decisive set.
However, Barty launched a spectacular comeback, winning five of the next six games before dominating the tiebreaker.
Barty became the first Australian to reach the Australian Open women’s singles final since Wendy Turnbull in 1980. She is now the first Australian champion since Chris O’Neil in 1978.
The 25-year-old Barty now has Grand Slam titles on all three playing surfaces. Last year she triumphed on grass at Wimbledon and also won the French Open, played on clay , in 2019.