History
awaits world number one Ashleigh Barty at the Australian Open final on
Saturday. The 25-year-old is aiming to become the first Australian woman in 44
years to win the singles title in Melbourne Park.

And it
would take a monumental effort from American Danielle Collins to stop Barty
from going into the history books, given the Queenslander’s form going into the
final. Barty is on a 10-match winning streak and has lost just 21 games in six
matches without dropping a set. She has also won 81 of her last 82 service
games.

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Madison
Keys, who lost 6-1, 6-3 to Barty in the semifinal, has warned her compatriot
Collins to be on her toes at the Rod Laver Arena.

“You
have a game plan in your head, but she’s just executing everything so
well,” Keys said. “She’s serving incredibly well, so you don’t get
any free points on that.”

“I
think the tough thing is that I think (Barty) kind of makes you over-think a
little bit, and you start pressing a little bit, you feel like you have to do
too much at times. She puts that kind of pressure on you.”

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Also
stacked against Collins is her record against Barty, having beaten the two-time
Grand Slam champion only once in four attempts. That win came Down Under, at a
warm up tournament ahead of last year’s Australian Open in Adelaide.

Having
beaten Poland’s Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-1 in the semis to reach her maiden major
final, Collins is just one win away from acheiving her childhood dream –
becoming a Grand Slam champion.

But the depth in the women’s game over the past few years has given her optimism that she could upset Barty and be crowned Australian Open champion. 

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“There’s been so many women in the last couple of years who won Slams that were not expected to win Slams, and that gives hope to all the players,” world number 30 Collins said. 

Barty also agreed with Collins on this, saying the change in the women’s game has been “incredible”. The wide-open chances in women’s major titles recently was apparent in Emma Raducanu’s win as a qualifier in last year’s US Open. 

“The depth has expanded dramatically, and I think that has forced everyone to raise their level,” Barty said. 

(With Inputs from the Associated Press)