Oh good ? She is already Barty… To follow the matches of world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty on her southern lands, it is better not to be late in the stands or in front of her screen. Because the boss of the circuit, 25, has crushed everything in her path since the start of the tournament. On average, one hour and one minute including VAT on the court before heading back to the locker room with your arm raised.
In the semi-finals, the American Madison Keys did not exist (6-1, 6-3). Neither better nor worse than previous victims of the Ipswich tornado. In six matches (and twelve sets), Barty only conceded 21 games, an average of 3.5 games per match! The American Anisimova, out 6-4, 6-3 in 8th, therefore almost achieved a small feat… Only Steffi Graf (16 games in 1989) and Monica Seles (20 in 1993) had left so few crumbs on their way to the final.
Already a winner of Roland-Garros (2019) and Wimbledon (2021), the former cricket specialist will try to win her first Major on hard court for her first “home” final. An event that the Australians had been waiting for for 42 years and Wendy Turnbull (beaten at the time by Mandlikova).
“Honestly, it’s amazing. I am happy to play my best tennis here, ”slips Barty, assured of keeping her throne at the WTA. In 2020, she had stopped in the semi-finals. Last year in quarters. “But I am more complete, I have more experience in managing the different situations that arise,” she explains.
On Saturday, with her metronomic and impregnable serve despite her size (1.66 m) and her sliced backhand to drive her opponents crazy, Barty will be opposed to the American slugger Danielle Collins, who outclassed the Polish Iga Swiatek (6-4, 6 -1). Collins, who eliminated Alizé Cornet in the quarter-finals, also plays the steamrollers but in a different style. Hitting anything that moves.
The Floridian has won 32 out of 39 games since July 2021. “What a journey! It’s exceptional, I think back to my first training sessions, after school, with my father. I couldn’t be happier than I am, she smiled. It worked really well for me today! It will inevitably be spectacular to now face the world number one in her country. I’m eager to. »
It remains to be seen how each will handle the pressure. That of the discovery of a last act in Grand Slam for Collins and that of the expectation of a whole country for Barty. In 2019, the Australian, caught up in the challenge of a possible coronation at home, had not been able to manage the Fed Cup final against France. But that was before…
