Australian Open: Ash Barty posts message the morning after her historic title

Newly crowned Australian Open champion Ash Barty posted a message to fans just hours after her historic win captivated the nation.

Ash Barty displays the trophy after winning the women’s final at the Australian Open tennis on Saturday night 6-3 7-6. Picture: Michael Klein

Newly crowned Australian Open champion Ash Barty has posted a message to fans the morning after her historic win.

Barty captivated the nation with her 6-3, 7-6 triumph over American Danielle Collins, which ended a 44-year drought for Australian women in the event.

By winning her third grand slam title, on a third different surface, the 25-year-old cemented he status as the world’s best female player.

I’m so proud to be an Aussie 💙 pic.twitter.com/ELbsqR4Vv8

— Ash Barty (@ashbarty) January 29, 2022

Ash Barty poses with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup on Sunday. Picture: Getty Images

Barty just too good for them

Wizardry. Sleight-of hand. Too many tricks up her sleeve. Too much of a magician. Barty won the Australian Open? She’s too bloody good for the lot of ’em.

What about the emotion? That was an eruption like we’ve never seen from Barty. There were a couple of heart palpitations but Barty claimed her third major title while barely raising a sweat.

She won 14 straight sets on Rod Laver Arena. The accumulated scoreline from her two-week joy ride read 6-0, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, 6-0, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6. Thanks for coming. Pressure? Stuff that. Pressure kicks in when you doubt yourself. She had this one covered.

Too mature. Too composed in a rousing triumph over Collins that prompted more than mere applause from the stands. The response was one of endearment.

If the MCG had a tennis court, you could have played it there and filled the joint. Getting Chris O’Neil, the last Australian woman to win the title in 1978, to walk the trophy onto Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne might have applied the mock but Barty shrugged that off, too, recovering from 1-5 in the second set to launch a stirring streak that brought the house down.

Indigenous-themed T-shirts were in a 13,000-strong crowd that was big and buzzing as early as 4pm. Australian flags were everywhere.

Musicians on Grand Slam Oval blew their trumpets, tooted their horns. Plucked guitar strings with smiles on their dials. People sang. People danced.

The so-called Happy Slam began as anything but. A lot of positive vibes were deported. Barty ended up making the nickname appropriate enough when she got up with a thumbs up.

Ash Barty reacts after winning. Picture: AFP

Collins was peeved by the crowd for applauding her errors. She had nothing to complain about. It was a one-sided crowd, but fair.

Collins was further proof that game plans to combat Barty are useless when you cannot actually play the style required.

Collins needed to get to the net to beat Barty – but she’s a poor volleyer. She needed to slice and dice back to Barty – but she cannot hit that shot.

She was like an offspinner knowing she could dismiss a batsman with a wrong ’un. Problem being, she didn’t know how to bowl a wrong ’un. She could only do what she normally does, knowing it probably wouldn’t work.

Australia's Ash Barty is congratulated by Danielle Collins of the US following Barty's win. Picture: AFP

One of the funniest sights you’ll see at a tournament is Barty’s next opponent practising against someone with a slice backhand on the morning of a match.

They’ve found someone who can hit the shot and they’re hurriedly trying to get used to it – in an hour. Finding a hitting partner who plays like Barty is problematic, for starters. If Ken Rosewall wanted to, he could come back and make a fortune as a hitting partner for whoever’s playing Barty next.

Danielle Collins, former Open winner Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Ash Barty during the trophy presentation. Picture: Getty Images

Barty held her nerve in a tense second set. Too meticulous. Too precise. Too classy. She stood on RLA and roared and clenched her fists. The most passionate reaction she’s ever given. Her serving was supreme once more. Too much accuracy. Too much spin. Too much swing. Too much power when needed. All in all, just too bloody good.