09:39
Head-2-Head
Ash Barty leads 3-1 in a head-to-head with Danielle Collins, but the American knows she can beat the Australian. Even at their most recent meeting last year in Adelaide. It took Collins just over an hour for a straight two sentences. Barty also won in Adelaide the year before, but much narrower in three sets. In 2019, the Australian won the first matches at the French Open and in Madrid on clay.
09:36
Collins
Former NCAA champion and UVA player Collins aims to become the first collegiate player to win a major in singles — women’s or men’s — in over 40 years. To do that, she would also need to become the fifth-lowest-seeded player to ever win this tournament. By the way, depending on how your year goes, that could be different at the upcoming Australian Open. Thanks to her reaching the final, Danielle Collins will be in the top 10 for the first time in her career after the tournament and at the same time be the best-placed American.
09:32
Collins’ way
Standing in the way of the title is 28-year-old Danielle Collins. Only for the third time did the American survive a third round in a Grand Slam tournament and after a semi-final in 2019 at the same place and the quarter-finals in 2020 in Paris, her biggest coup follows today – can she crown it too? Until mid-2021, she had never won a single WTA tournament, was 0:6 in the finals, but then discovered winning for herself and won in Palermo and San José. On her way to the Australian Open final, she stumbled a little in the third round against Clara Tauson and then Elise Mertens, both of whom she won firsts from behind, but she survived those trials too, going on to show against Alizé Cornet and the former French -Open winner Iga Swiatek great performances in the semifinals.
09:25
This is at stake
The Australian fans’ long dry spell is over. For the first time since 1980 (Wendy Turnbull) an Australian is in the singles final. And if anyone should make it, it’s the dominant Ash Barty. Even before the tournament started, it was clear to the local fans that there can only be one winner at this Australian Open, but her compatriot always played that down and didn’t promise anything – that apparently helped her immensely, because you felt the pressure on Barty during the two weeks not at all. Will that also be the case in the final today? She wants to become the first Australian winner after Christine O’Neil in 1978, who ended the golden era of the 1970s. Additionally, Barty could become the first woman after Serena Williams to win a major on all surfaces. The Australian has already ticked off the French Open and Wimbledon.
09:20
Barty’s way
The path of the local hero was made comparatively easy for her, as Barty did not have to play a player from the top 20 in any of her six matches. Still, her progress to the final is impressive. She was on the court for just six hours and six minutes, didn’t drop a set and only lost her own service game against Amanda Anisimova in the round of 16. With a total of 21 surrendered games, she follows in the footsteps of Steffi Graf (1989, 16 games) and Monica Seles (1993, 20 games), who stormed even more dominantly to the final. During the tournament, Barty has also become a US player specialist, making Danielle Collins the fourth straight US player she has faced. After Anisimova, Barty’s most difficult task so far, Jessica Pegula and the former world number seven Madison Keys were also unable to resist.
09:12
final
It’s already been two weeks Down Under and the field of participants has shrunk to two players. From a German point of view, the tournament was a clear disaster, none of the three DTB players even made it into the second round, and Angie Kerber also failed right at the start after she regained her strength towards the end of last season. And while Ash Barty defied the pressure, progressing lap after lap on home soil and living up to her reputation as number one in the world, her competition dropped like flies around her. And so she faces Danielle Collins, world number 30, a major final debutant. In 2019 she was surprisingly in the semifinals at the same place, but otherwise she never played a major role in Grand Slams.
09:04
Welcome
Hello and welcome to the grand final of the women’s competition at the Australian Open. From 9:30 a.m. Ashleigh Barty and Danielle Collins will play for the coveted trophy in the Rod Laver Arena.