Collins' best previous run at a Grand Slam was making the last four at the Australian Open in 2019. (Photo by= Getty Images) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] Ashleigh Barty became the first home player to reach the Australian Open women's singles final in 42 years as she beat Madison Keys in straight sets on a jubilant Rod Laver Arena. BBC said that Wimbledon champion Barty, 25, won 6-1 6-3 against the unseeded American.
Now the top seed is one win away from becoming the first Australian - man or woman - to win the singles since Christine O'Neil won the title in 1978. Barty will face American 27th seed Danielle Collins in Saturday's final. Collins, 28, beat seventh seed Iga Swiatek 6-4 6-1 to reach her first Grand Slam final, less than a year after she had surgery for endometriosis. Channeling her passion into power, Collins settled more quickly than 2020 French Open champion Swiatek and raced into a 4-0 lead with a double break.
While Collins showed aggression and clinical execution to dominate Swiatek, she looks likely to face a tough task stopping Barty. The world number one reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park in 2020, with defeats in the quarter-finals coming either side. This year, Barty has so far looked unstoppable and unburdened by the weight of Australian expectation. The 25-year-old Queenslander has been in supreme form in 2022, having now won all 10 of her singles matches this year.