Bill Simons
She looked up to the stars, she howled in relief, the crowd roared in elation – sheer glee. This was the moment all of Australian tennis had long craved.
Yes, for over four decades Australian stars have shone. Lleyton Hewitt, Pat Rafter, Pat Cash and Sam Stosur won shiny trophies at Wimbledon, the US Open and Roland Garros.
But never at home. For 44 long years the Aussie crowds backed their mates with a proud zest. They wanted it so much – and so did their heroes. But the drought was fierce – some called it a curse.
Enter a sturdy jock with a smile and a forehand – Ash Barty. The 5’ 5” battler had turned the Aussie Open into her own backyard barbecue, losing just 21 games as she breezed through the draw.
But too often Aussies have melted under the weight of home-court expectations. Yes, Ash was now a dominant No. 1. She’d already sent three Americans – Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys – packing. But Danielle Collins had beaten Barty in their last match in 2021, and now she was hitting free and surging mightily. After Collins throttled Alize Cornet in the quarters, the French woman sighed, “You feel really oppressed. I felt out of breath all the time.” And Danielle was even more impressive in the semis, where she dismissed No. 7 seed Iga Swiatek to reach her first major final.
Coachless and without a clothing sponsor, No. 30 Collins was just a 50-1 longshot as the Open began. But there’s a reason they call the late-blooming fisherman’s daughter from Florida’s public parks “Tenacious-D.” Her Serena-like ferocity is hard to miss. Her returns are fearless, her backhand imposes.
But tonight she stepped out, a lone combatant in black, facing both a raucous crowd backing her foe and a daunting task: defying destiny.
Despite her nerves, at 2-2 Collins did manage to get an early break point. But Barty, who’d been broken just once in the tourney, brushed it aside and promptly took advantage of a tight Collins service game. Danielle’s forehand was errant. She double-faulted in the night wind. Ash broke, relaxed, played with freedom and displayed why she’s No. 1. Her game is like a Swiss Army knife. Now we saw every blade: perfectly placed fast serves, confident forehands, a wicked backhand slice that confounds foes, uncanny shot selection and razor-sharp decision making.
Once again Barty was taking an American to the corners and getting her out of her comfort zone. In just 32 minutes she claimed the first set 6-3. Grab a beer mate – the Barty party was about to happen.
But not so fast. Even though she lost the bracelet she usually wears, Collins hadn’t lost her grit. Somehow, some way she tapped into her aggression, hit deep and gained commanding court positions. With a rush of confidence she punished Barty’s slice and charged the net.
Her first-strike tennis suddenly had Ash reeling for the first time in the tourney. Twice she broke the unexpectedly error-prone Aussie to claim a 5-1 lead. Australia’s darling was on her back foot. Was her lack of tight matches now costing her? Laver Arena became as silent as the Outback desert. Clearly the match would go to a deciding third set.
But there’s a reason Ash is a Hall of Fame bound Wimbledon and French Open champion. Sure, she was on the ropes taking punches, but who, this side of Djokovic, manages matches like Barty? “No one,” the tough Aussie seemed to be saying, “bosses me about my court.”
Soon she began to diffuse Collins’ blasts, stalling her net charges. Barty’s calm, steely determination and adept court positioning were again in place as she seemed to will herself back into the match. As Collins’ mercurial game faltered, Ash won five of the next six games to force a tiebreak.
Serving brilliantly and with the flag-flying, well lubricated crowd screaming support, Ash gamely held her nerve and raced to a 6-2 lead in the tiebreak.
But many have faltered before reaching history’s finish line. Just ask Serena, who 13 times has failed to win a 24th Slam, or Roger and Novak, who both have blinked and failed to claim a record 21st Slam.
But, “No worries, mate.” With her first championship point in hand, Ash hit a convincing cross-court forehand winner to end her nation’s 44-year drought. With her 6-3, 7-6 (2) win, the 25-year-old won her third Slam on a third surface and set off on a giddy storm of celebration.
But not surprisingly, the girl-next-door, no-fuss champion was modest in victory. “I think being able to really simplify and then just come out and enjoy it…Seven times I got to walk out onto a beautiful court with incredible fans and try and do the best I can do, and that’s all I could ask of myself.”
“These last couple of years have been tough,” she told the throng, “and it takes a real big village…Without you we’d be lost out here…[This] is a dream come true for me and I’m so proud to be an Aussie.”
And Australia is so proud of Barty. Now let’s party.
