Ashleigh Barty defeated Danielle Collins 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) on Saturday to become the first Australian woman to win the Australian Open singles title in 44 years. Down 5-1 in the second set, Barty mounted a fightback to force the second set into a tiebreaker, which she dominated to win her maiden Grand Slam in Melbourne.
Barty became the first Australian woman to win the Grand Slam since Chris O’Neil in 1978. She was the first homegrown player to reach the final in Melbourne since Wendy Turnbull in 1980.
This is Barty’s third Grand Slam title overall, adding to her Wimbledon 2020 and French Open 2019 titles. She also became only the second active player, after Serena Williams, to have won on all three surfaces.
“This is just a dream come true for me,” the 25-year-old Barty said after her win. “I’m just so proud to be an Aussie.”