No pressure, Ash Barty, but …

Playing in front of the home crowd at the Australian Open can be daunting even for tennis champions. The careers of Pat Cash, Lleyton Hewitt, Pat Rafter and Samantha Stosur, who won slam tournaments overseas but not in Melbourne, attest to that.

On Saturday night Ashleigh Barty, 23, from Springfield, west of Brisbane, experienced how good it is to win at home when she defeated Ukrainian teenager Dayana Yastremska to capture the Adelaide International, her first Women’s Tennis Association title in Australia. “I definitely feel the love out here,” Barty said. “I love playing in Australia, I love playing at home, and it’s been incredible for my team and I to enjoy this week.”

Like all Australians, we hope she and they enjoy the coming fortnight at Melbourne Park even more, from Monday night’s opener to the end of the second week. The Open also marks the 50th anniversary of Margaret Court’s calendar grand slam.

Barty, the current French Open champion and winner of the 2019 WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China, starts the Open as the world’s No 1 player and top seed. It has been decades since an Australian woman was in that position. But the competition will be fierce, with rivals such as Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams having plenty to prove.

Barty reportedly prefers toasting her big victories with beer instead of champagne. If she plays her best, plenty of both could be flowing for her and for Aussie tennis fans on Saturday week.