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Ashleigh Barty defeated Danielle Collins 6-3, 7-6(2) in the 2022 Australian Open final on Saturday to win her third Grand Slam title. After the match, the World No. 1 joined Channel Nine's Wide World of Sports panel to celebrate with a bottle of beer.
Barty was joined by former Australian pros Casey Dellacqua and Alicia Molik, who raised a toast to the World No. 1.
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Barty's triumph on Saturday was one for the history books. With legendary Australian players such as Rod Laver, Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Chris O'Neil in the crowd, Barty became the first homegrown Australian Open winner in 44 years.
The World No. 1 also shared a heartfelt moment with Dellacqua on court right after her win. The 36-year-old was Barty's first doubles partner when she joined the professional tour. She was also instrumental in Barty's return to tennis after a year-long hiatus in 2016.
Rod Laver, one of the biggest stalwarts in Australian tennis, shared a photo on Twitter alongside Barty, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Chris O'Neil and Judy Dalton commemorating the historic day.
"To be able to have this part of my dream kind of achieved is amazing"- Ashleigh Barty on winning Australian Open
In her press conference after the match, Barty reflected on her run this past fortnight in Melbourne. She revealed that it felt surreal to win the title in front of her home fans. She further emphasized how her accomplishments have been a collective effort of her and her team.
"It was a little bit surreal. I think I didn't quite know what to do or what to feel," Barty said."This fortnight, seven times I got to walk out onto a beautiful court with incredible fans and do the best I can, that's all I can ask of myself. Now to be able to have this part of my dream kind of achieved is amazing, and I think I have to really understand that that came from the processes that we put in with my team, because without them, I wouldn't be half the person that I am."
Barty is now just a US Open title away from completing the Career Slam.
