Ash Barty ended Australia’s drought at the country’s Grand Slam on Saturday, becoming the first Australian player to win the major since 1978.

The top seed overcame a 5-1 deficit in the second set to defeat American Danielle Collins 6-3, 7-6(2) in the Australian Open final. Barty’s victory marks the first time an Australian has clinched the Melbourne major championship since Chris O’Neil did it 44 years prior.

The 25-year-old joins Serena Williams as just the second active player to capture Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces, winning Roland Garros in 2019 and Wimbledon in 2021.

In a dominant Australian Open campaign, Barty charged to victory without dropping a set throughout the entire tournament, becoming the first player to do so since Williams in 2017. The World No. 1 now heads into the next stage of the WTA calendar on an 11-match win streak.

Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, an Australian tennis icon and one of Barty’s idols, presented the 25-year-old with the championship trophy at center court.

“As an Aussie, the most important part of this tournament is being able to share it with so many people,” Barty said following Saturday’s win. “You guys today in the crowd have been nothing shy of exceptional.”

Ash Barty continued to roll on Thursday, breezing past Madison Keys 6-1, 6-3 to reach the final of the Australian Open. She’s the first home player to reach the women’s final since Wendy Turnbull in 1980.

With the win, Barty’s hopes of becoming the first women’s home champion since Chris O’Neil in 1978 are still alive.

Having dropped just 21 games in six matches, Barty recorded the fewest games lost en route to a Grand Slam title match since Serena Williams dropped 16 en route to the 2013 US Open final. It’s also tied for fourth-lowest this century: Williams dropped 19 at the 2012 US Open, sister Venus dropped 20 at Wimbledon in 2009 and Serena also dropped 21 at the 2013 French Open.

Throughout the 62 minute match, Barty racked up 20 winners to 13 unforced errors. Keys, meanwhile, had only eight winners to 24 unforced errors.

“It’s tough,” Keys said of Barty’s play after the match. “It sucks. She’s just playing incredibly well. I mean, you have a game plan in your head, but she’s just executing everything so well.”

The Australian will next take on No. 27 American Danielle Collins, who upset No. 7 Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-1 to reach her first Grand Slam final. It was Collins’ seventh career top 10 win.

When asked about Collins, Barty called her “one of the most fierce competitors out here.”

“She loves to get in your face and loves to really take it on,” Barty said. “It’s going to be a challenge for me to try and neutralize as best that I can, but it is certainly nice to see her back out here playing her best stuff.”

While Barty leads the head-to-head against Collins 3-1, the American hasn’t lost a complete match since Indian Wells last October, marking a streak of 11-straight wins. She had to retire to Alison Riske in the Linz Open semifinals in November.

The 28-year-old slammed home 27 winners and only 13 unforced errors on Thursday. Her aggressive approach to the game was no match for Swiatek, who said as much after the match.

“I was prepared for her playing aggressive game, but I think that was the fastest ball I have ever played against on a match,” Swiatek said. “For sure in practices I have hit maybe the same speed, but on matches it’s different because players don’t want to take that much risk. But it seemed for her that it wasn’t even risky because she was playing it with control.

“So I am impressed, and huge respect to her because she’s playing a great game. I’m just curious how it’s gonna look like on the final, and I’m gonna for sure be watching and learning.”

World No. 1 Ash Barty has advanced to her her fourth straight Australian Open quarterfinal after defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday.

Anisimova did not go quietly, managing to end Barty’s streak of 63 consecutive service holds at the start of the second set. Barty also dropped serve for the first time in eight matches.

“It didn’t bother me too much. Honestly, I’m not counting how many games I hold in a row or not,” Barty said after the match. “The fact I was able to reset, break straight back was really important, just to be able to reset myself, go again and continue to do the right things.”

Barty overcame 17 unforced errors and three double faults with 23 winners.

With the win, Barty’s hopes to capture her first Australian Open (and third Grand Slam) title are still alive. She would become the first Australian to do so since Chris O’Neil in 1978.

In Tuesday’s quarterfinal, Barty will meet No. 21 Jessica Pegula, who took down No. 5 Maria Sakkari 7-6(0), 6-3 for her eighth career top-10 win. The 27-year-old Buffalo native will make her second straight appearance in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

No. 7 Iga Swiatek managed a comeback win over Sorana Cirstea 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 to reach her first quarterfinal in Melbourne and her first outside of the French Open, which she achieved last year.

“These kind of matches are going to give me a lot of confidence for the future, because coming back from losing in the first set and against a player who’s constantly going forward, it’s pretty hard, and I did that,” Swiatek said after the match. “I feel like I can approach these different scenarios on court, and at the end it’s pretty positive.”

Alizé Cornet will play in her first major quarterfinal in 63 Grand Slam appearances after defeating No. 14 Simona Halep 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 inside Rod Laver Arena on Sunday. Cornet will meet American Danielle Collins, who upset Elise Mertens 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka continued on their path to a fourth-round collision Wednesday, each handedly defeating their second-round opponents at the Australian Open.

Osaka took down world No. 54 Madison Brengle in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4, after conceding only nine points in the first set, which lasted just 20 minutes. In total, the defending champion finished with 37 winners and 32 unforced errors.

In the third round, Osaka will face 20-year-old American Amanda Anisimova for the first time in their careers. Earlier in the day, Anisimova defeated Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic 6-2, 7-5.

“I like her game a lot,” Anisimova said when asked about playing Osaka. “I like watching her play. I think our personalities are a little bit similar in terms of composure and trying to be the quiet players on tour.

“I’m also a pretty aggressive player, so I just want to see how our games will match up.”

The winner of that match will most likely meet Ash Barty, who is continuing to tear up the court.

It took the world No. 1 just 52 minutes to beat second-round opponent and qualifier Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 6-1. It’s the second straight match Barty has won in under an hour after taking down first-round opponent Lesia Tsurenko in 54 minutes.

Afterward, Barty said it was special to play on the same day the tournament celebrated its inaugural First Nations Day, dedicated to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia.

“It was nice for me to be a part of it in a way that I feel most comfortable,” said Barty, who has Indigenous heritage. “Out on the tennis court is how I express myself as an athlete. It’s how I’m able to express myself as a person as well.

“On a day we’re bringing cultures together, bringing people together … it was great for me to be able to play a small role doing what I love.”

Barty will next face Camilla Giorgi in the third round on Thursday.

Elsewhere at Melbourne Park, fourth-seeded Barbora Krejcikova advanced to a third-round match against No. 26 Jelena Ostapenko. Joining her in the third round are No. 5 Maria Sakkari, No. 8 Paula Badosa and No. 15 Elina Svitolina. Svitolina will next play two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka.

The Australian Open got underway on Monday, with plenty of action already on the women’s side of the bracket.

World No. 1 Ash Barty started off strong in her quest for the title, defeating qualifier Lesia Tsurenko 6-0, 6-1 in just 54 minutes in her first-round matchup.

Barty has been on a tear to begin the year. After winning the Adelaide 500 just over a week ago, the 25-year-old extended her winning streak to five matches and her streak of consecutive service holds to 42 on Monday.

Barty, who’s seeking to become the first Australian to win the Grand Slam on home soil since Chris O’Neil in 1978, will meet Lucia Bronzetti in the second round Tuesday. The Italian took down Varvara Gracheva 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the first round.

In another quarter of the bracket, Chian’s Wang Qiang upset No. 18 seed Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2. The win was Wang’s first over a top-20 player since she defeated Serena Williams at the Australian Open in 2020. Gauff managed to save four match points after going down 5-0 on Monday, but the 17-year-old American couldn’t overcome her 38 unforced errors.

Elsewhere at Melbourne Park, defending champion Naomi Osaka posted a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Camila Osorio.

“I thought she played amazing,” Osaka said after the match. “Overall, I’m just happy to be here. I’m happy to see everybody in the audience, and I hope we gave you a great performance.”

Also victorious on Monday were No. 5 seed Maria Sakkari and No. 4 seed Barbora Krejcikova. Ninth-seeded Ons Jabeur was forced to withdraw from her match due to a back injury and was replaced by Romania’s Irina Bara.

The 2022 tennis season kicks off on Monday, with the Australian Open getting underway in Melbourne. The January Grand Slam has plenty of drama baked in as veterans seek to prove themselves and rookies aim to make waves.

Can Naomi Osaka repeat? Will Ash Barty break through? Here are the three storylines to watch for ahead of the Australian Open.

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1. Ash Barty tries to win one at home

World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty heads into the Australian Open fresh off clinching the Adelaide International title. Defeating No. 7 seed Elena Rybakina in straight sets in the final, Barty has won 17 of her last 18 matchups against Top 20 opponents. The Australian native is also coming off a sensational 2021 campaign, capturing the Wimbledon title to become the first Australian woman since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980 to win the major. The 25-year-old ended last season with a WTA Player of the Year award after taking home five titles in 2021 and ending the year as the World No. 1.

In her rise through the tennis ranks, Barty has captured the heart of Australians, with two million viewers from her home country tuning in to watch the Wimbledon final well into the night and early hours of the morning. With two Grand Slams to her name, Barty hopes to make it a third at home in Australia, improving upon her 2020 semifinal run in Melbourne.

If Barty pulls off the win, she will become the first Australian to capture the major since Chris O’Neil in 1978.

The No. 1 seed won’t have any easy path. As the draw stands, Barty could face reigning champion Naomi Osaka in the tournament’s fourth round.

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2. Naomi Osaka returns to defend her title

Naomi Osaka is back on tour after a 2021 season largely defined by the multiple breaks she took from the sport. The 24-year-old first stepped back from tennis during last season’s French Open, citing her mental health. The four-time Grand Slam winner pulled out of Wimbledon as well before returning for the Tokyo Olympics. Following a tough US Open loss to Leylah Fernandez in September, Osaka took another break from tennis, announcing her decision in an emotional press conference after the Grand Slam.

Now, Osaka is back and ready to compete, admitting that her respite from tennis was shorter than even she expected.

“I actually really thought I wasn’t going to play for most of this year,” Osaka told reporters after the first round of January’s Melbourne Summer Set. “I’m really happy with myself that I love the sport that much, because I literally said that I was unsure when I was going to play after the US Open, and I’m here right now.”

After making a semifinal run at the Melbourne Summer Set, Osaka had to pull out of the Australian Open tune-up tournament, citing an abdominal injury. The reigning Australian Open champion is expected to recover for the Melbourne major, which kicks off Osaka’s 2022 campaign. Drawing a potential Round of 16 matchup with No. 1 seed Barty, Osaka’s title defense should be filled with drama and intrigue, as well as some exceptional tennis.

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3. A preview of the tour without the Williams sisters

The Australian Open will be without both Venus and Serena Williams for the first time since 1997, with both sisters pulling out of the Grand Slam due to lingering injuries. The Williams sisters’ two-decade plus run down under speaks to the American stars’ prolonged dominance on tour. Neither Venus nor Serena have hinted at retirement, but with both in their 40’s and having already accomplished everything possible in the sport, it’s fair to assume the sisters are closer to the end of their careers than the beginning.

It is hard to imagine tennis without two of the sport’s most towering figures, but the 2022 Australian Open could provide a glimpse into what the post-Williams era looks like.

Will World No. 1 Barty take command as the undisputed leader of the sport, or will No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka clinch her first Grand Slam? Could Naomi Osaka win a fifth Grand Slam and regain her earlier trajectory? Not to mention Garbiñe Muguruza, Barbora Krejcikova, Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa, and Emma Raducanu, all of whom will have a chance to step into the Williams’ void and claim their position at the forefront of the next generation of tennis stars.

The Australian Open begins Monday, with the main draw being revealed on Thursday ahead of the year’s first major.

World No. 1 Ash Barty will look to continue her winning ways, having won 17 of her last 18 matches against opponents ranked in the top 20. She’ll begin her campaign against a qualifier but could face off against 13-seed Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.

If she makes it past Osaka, fifth-seed Maria Sakkari could await her in the quarterfinals and fourth-seed Barbora Krejcikova in the semifinals.

Osaka will face off against Camila Osorio after withdrawing from a WTA Australian Open tune-up event with an abdominal injury. Before possibly meeting Barty, Osaka could see Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic in the third-round. She will be looking to defend her 2021 Australian Open win, her first time trying to defend a major.

The 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin could also have a difficult third-round matchup in 17-year-old Coco Gauff. But first, she faces a first-round test against fellow American Madison Keys. Currently, their head-to-head reads 2-1 in Keys’ favor.

Fresh off her US Open win, 17th seed Emma Raducanu will face off against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round. The winner could face off against Simona Halep in the third round.

Ashleigh Barty put on a show for her home crowd, cruising past No. 7 seed Elena Rybakina 6-3, 6-2 to clinch the Adelaide International title on Sunday.

The win marks the World No. 1’s second South Australia championship in three years.

Barty relied on her serve in the straight-set victory, losing only 13 points on nine service games. The Australian now heads into January’s Australian Open on an impressive win-streak, having won 17 of her last 18 matches against opponents ranked in the top 20.

No. 2 seed Simona Halep won Australia’s other tune-up event, defeating No. 3 seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 6-3 in the Melbourne Summer Set 1 final on Sunday.

The former World No. 1 took advantage of Kudermetova’s 27 unforced errors to win her 23rd career WTA title after a 2021 season plagued by injuries.

The Australian Open begins on Jan. 17 at Melbourne Park.

World No. 1 Ash Barty managed her first win of the 2022 season, taking down Coco Gauff 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday in the second round of the Adelaide International.

The 17-year-old Gauff didn’t go quietly, forcing Barty to drop serve twice in the first set and was up 4-2 in the second before the Australian rebounded to win 11 of the last 13 games.

A two-time major winner, Barty is looking to be the first Australian woman to win the Australian Open since Chris O’Neil in 1978. Barty has reached the late stages of the tournament three times, making the semifinals in 2020 and the quarterfinals in 2019 and 2021. She’ll also look to continue the momentum from what was a banner year in 2021 in which Barty won Wimbledon and was named the 2021 WTA Player of the Year.

Second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and third-seed Maria Sakkari each fell out in the second round.

Sabalenka was upset 7-6 (6), 6-1 by world No. 100 Kaja Juvan, who earned her first win against a top-10 player and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Shelby Rogers knocked off Sakkari 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4 and will face seventh seed Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.

The US Open kicks off this week in New York City with a full house of spectators expected to attend. Fans won’t have the honor of watching either of the Williams sisters take the court, as both have withdrawn due to injury. But with Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka both in top form, viewers will be witness to two young stars whose zeniths could finally collide on the grand stage — if they can survive the array of talented competitors that stand in their way.

Here’s who to watch in New York during tennis’ final Grand Slam of the year:

The Favorites

Australia’s Ash Barty is heading into the US Open with all the momentum one could hope for at this point in the North American hard-court season.

The world #1 in rankings recently became the first player to claim five WTA singles titles in a single season since Serena Williams did it in 2014. That fifth trophy came last week at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, where Barty worked her way through several Grand Slam contenders on her way to the title, including Victoria Azarenka, Barbora Krejcikova, and Angelique Kerber. When the 25-year-old won Wimbledon earlier this summer she proved her inaugural Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open and subsequent number one ranking that persisted through the strange landscape of the pandemic were no fluke. But she has yet to reach the finals rounds of a US Open. Having lost in the round of 16 in both 2018 and 2019 and then opted out in 2020 due to the pandemic, she is poised to make a very deep run this week in New York.

The woman most likely to rain on the 2021 Barty parade is none other than Naomi Osaka. While her trajectory this year has been much more of a roller coaster, she has four hard-court Grand Slam titles to Barty’s zero. Out of the last four Grand Slam tournaments held, Osaka won the first two and then either withdrew or opted out of the next two. She hasn’t lost a single Grand Slam match since January 2020 at the Australian Open, way back in the Before-COVID-Times. Both she and Barty lost early at the Tokyo Olympics, but Osaka also lost in the round of 16 at the Western & Southern Open. Off the court, she continues to figure out how and whether she wants to meet current expectations of a highly publicized life. Only she knows the extent to which those struggles may be impacting her play.

Barty and Osaka are tied 2-2 in head-to-head matches. Even though Osaka dropped a spot from #2 to #3 in overall rankings last week, her and Barty are fortunately on opposite sides of the bracket. Even with a rocky lead up to the last Grand Slam of the year, Osaka is a proven champion with a stellar hard-court record and has a solid claim to the title of best women’s player in the world. Cheers to the tennis gods for a draw that leaves the door open for a Barty v. Osaka US Open final.

Contenders with momentum on their side

One of the most exciting players of 2021 has been Barbora Krejcikova. The 25-year-old from the Czech Republic just recently broke into the top ten and currently sits #9 overall, by far her best ranking in singles.

Krejcikova entered 2021 with two Grand Slam doubles titles from the 2018 French Open and 2018 Wimbledon and has watched her singles success finally take off. This year, she has won three WTA singles titles, including her first Grand Slam at the French Open. She also managed to capture her second French Open doubles championship that same week and then followed that up with a gold medal in doubles at the Tokyo Olympics. While the clay court seems to suit her well, she’s proving the hard court fits nicely too. She won the first hard-court tournament of the year at the Livesport Prague Open and made it to quarters of the Western & Southern Open before losing to Barty. 

In the #12 spot in WTA rankings, Swiss player Belinda Bencic is also enjoying a breakout 2021. Having won the Olympic singles gold medal and then following it up with a strong run at the Western & Southern Open where she lost in the quarters, Bencic is looking like a solid threat as she heads into her strongest Grand Slam event.

Karolina Pliskova and Angelique Kerber are another two to keep your eye on. Pliskova has gone deep in the two hard-court lead-up tournaments to the US Open and was on the opposite side of the net to Barty in the Wimbledon final. Having made it to the quarters, semis, or final of a Grand Slam eight times, she appears to be on the precipice of finally tipping that scale. Kerber, on the other hand, has experienced Grand Slam title glory three times in her career and with appearances in this year’s Wimbledon semis and the Western & Southern Open semis, she is definitely a threat.

The Question Marks

Aryna Sabalenka, the woman who just surpassed Osaka to claim the #2 overall ranking, is still a bit of an unknown heading into New York. She put her name on the map this summer by making it to the semis of Wimbledon and she also got to the semis of one hard-court tourney early in August, but lost in the first round of another. Whether the 23-year-old from Belarus has something special in store for New York is a bit of a guess.

Bianca Andreescu hasn’t had the strong return from injury that many were looking forward to during this hard-court season. The 2019 US Open champion has had a rough showing for 2021, and her recent hard-court tournaments have been no exception. But at only 21 years old and with a new coach on board she has plenty of time to back up her 2019 victory even if it’s not imminent.

Veterans Simona Halep and Victoria Azarenka will also need a bit of luck on their side in order to make a strong run this week. With injuries and early exists from lead-in tournaments, the stars don’t seem to be aligned for either of the two-time Grand Slam champions. 

US Open first-round play begins Monday, Aug. 30 and continues until the two women left standing face off for the title at 4pm ET on Saturday, September 11th.