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Tennis

Ashleigh Barty Makes History by Reaching Her First Australian Open Final

Despite being the world’s no. 1 WTA singles player and winning multiple Grand Slam titles, Ashleigh Barty never reached the final at the Australian Open – until now. She’ll compete against Danielle Collins in the women's singles final, becoming the first Australian player in 42 years to make it this far. Barty is one step closer to winning her first Australian Open title after easily defeating Madison Keys 6-1, 6-3. Danielle Collins is the only player standing in her way, and they’ll face each other in the women’s final on Saturday, marking the first Grand Slam final for the 28-year-old American player. Having a chance to compete for a Grand Slam title is always a great honor, but this one is especially significant for Barty because she loves playing at home and it’s her childhood dream to win the Australian Open. “Over the last three or four years I’ve loved playing here in Australia. I’ve had my best results here over the last little period. It’s really exciting now that we get to play for a title on a Saturday at your home slam,” said Barty. Barty is the first Australian player to reach the women’s singles final at this tournament since Wendy Turnbull in 1980. If she comes out victorious, she’ll make history as the first home player since Chris O’Neil in 1978 to score women’s singles victory at the Australian Open.