Ash Barty’s Australian Open win makes TV ratings history with 2.5m viewers

World No.1 women’s player Ash Barty’s victory at the Australian Open was a success both on and off the court.

Ash Barty holds the Australian Open trophy after winning the women’s final on Saturday night. Picture: David Caird

Ash Barty’s straight sets victory to claim her third major title was the highest rating Australian Open women’s final in television ratings history.

The 25-year-old Queenslander’s defeat of American player Danielle Collins on Saturday night at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena was a ratings success for Nine, drawing 2.581 million viewers across the five major metropolitan cities, figures from ratings company OzTAM showed.

The presentation of the winning trophy to the women’s world No.1 also resulted in hundreds of thousands more viewers tuning in, attracting 2.838 million viewers.

Despite the absence of some of the sport’s biggest names from this year’s tournament, including men’s world No.1 Novak Djokovic – who arrived at Melbourne Park only to be sent packing a week later by the federal government – Swiss champion Roger Federer and US star Serena Williams, the Australian Open still managed to deliver strong TV audiences across its two-week period.

Nine’s director of sport Brent Williams said Barty’s victory on Saturday night was “bigger than just a tennis final”.

“It was a historic moment in Australian sport and it was witnessed by record-breaking numbers,” he said.

The all-Australian men’s double final, which saw the Special Ks – the duo of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis – prove victorious (7-5 6-4) over Matt Ebden and Max Purcell – drew 1.725 million across the five major metropolitan cities.

Williams said the all-Australian doubles match capped off a special night for Australian sporting viewers.

He labelled the winning pair’s two weeks of tennis as a “highly entertaining AO doubles campaign”.

“It was an all-round great night for Australian sport,” he said.