Winner's Circle: Barty wins first home title in Adelaide

In this edition, Australian Ashleigh Barty put on an amazing display to win her first WTA title on home soil at the Adelaide International.

After a shocking upset at the Brisbane Open, top seed Ashleigh Barty looked set to right the ship in Adelaide. The inaugural event boasted a pretty strong field, featuring the likes of Simona Halep[2], Belinda Bencic[4] and Angelique Kerber[9].

Barty was tested in her opening round match, battling past Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 4-6 6-3 7-5. She then faced Marketa Vondrousova in the quarterfinals, cruising to a 6-3 6-3 victory.

In perhaps the match of the tournament, Barty battled past the in-form Danielle Collins in the semifinals. The unseeded American had been ruthless the entire tournament, brushing past compatriot Sofia Kenin[7] and fourth seed Belinda Bencic.

Barty held a 2-0 career lead over Collins, but was pushed to her limits by the big-hitting American. The World No.1 triumphed 3-6 6-1 7-6(5) in just under two hours, securing her spot in the final.

Being the hometown favorite, there was a lot of pressure on Barty to claim the title for the Aussies. She was runner-up in Sydney on two occasions (2018, 2019) and was eager to finally win a title on home soil. In her way stood unseeded Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, who defeated Angelique Kerber[9] and Aryna Sabalenka[6] en route to the final.

The duo's sole previous encounter was at the 2019 Miami Open, with Barty prevailing in straight sets. Yastremska possessed more power but was unable to overcome Barty's tactical prowess. Despite her best efforts, the young Ukrainian found herself on the defensive end as she was forced off the court by her opponent's well-placed slices.

With the crowd fully behind her, Barty claimed the match with a 6-2 7-5 victory. The Australian had finally won her first title on home soil and eighth overall. Furthermore, she maintained the firm grip that she held atop the WTA rankings.

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