The WTA
Australian Open final where Barty defeated Collins was watched by over a million more people than the ATP final where Nadal defeated Medvedev.
Barty stormed to victory at the Australian Open defeating
Danielle Collins 6-3 7-6 in the final. The triumph saw the 25-year-old earn her first ever Grand Slam title
on home soil and become the first Australian to win the tournament since
Christine O'Neil in 1978. Barty had the full backing of the Rod Laver Arena during the tournament, and it has now been revealed she had millions of Australians supporting her from their sofas as well.
Her match against Collins was the highest rating Australian Open women’s final since measurement provider OzTAM began, and got more viewers than most men’s final matches over the past 21 years. Around 3.6 million viewers nationally tuned in to Barty’s clash against Collins, with the audience peaking at 4.3 million.
In comparison, 2.1 million Australian viewers watched
Rafael Nadal
overcome
Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in the men’s final. Only three men’s finals at the Australian Open have surpassed the
viewing figures from the women’s final this year – Lleyton Hewitt
against Marat Safin in 2005, Roger Federer against Marcos Baghdatis in
2006, and Nadal’s match against Federer in 2017.