MELBOURNE, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The women's singles top seed Barty reached the Australian Open final for the first time with a crisp and neat victory on the evening of the 27th, and she also became the first local player to enter the Australian Open final since 1980.
On January 27, Barty was in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Bai Xuefei
Barty's opponent is American Keith. The last time the two met was in the quarter-finals of the 2019 French Open, where Barty, who won Case, won his first Grand Slam title.
The Australian has high hopes for Barty to fulfill her dream of winning a Grand Slam title on her doorstep for a homegrown player. Despite restrictions on attendance at this year's Australian Open, Rodrawall stadium was packed with pro-Barty spectators that night.
Barty broke three times in the first set and won 6-1 very easily. In the second set, Keith found her form, but Barty returned to the net many times, but she still maintained a calm state and quickly adjusted, as she said in the last round, "found different tools from the toolbox", serve the net, forehand straight through... Barty pulled the game back to his own pace. Barty took the lead in the 6th set and eventually won the match 6–3 on the first match point of the set.
After the game, Barty, who had been expressionless, finally showed a relaxed smile. "I'm very happy to be here to play at my best level. I used to do well, and now I have the opportunity to fight for the championship and it feels a little unreal. ”
On January 27, Keith was in the game. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Hu Jingchen)
For the period before the final, Barty said that he was a "habitual animal" and the preparations continued as usual. 'I'm not on the field and I'm 'powered off' so I can enjoy it more and feel more special when I'm on the field, and then I can 'turn on' and get ready to go."
The other women's singles semi-final was also a quick final. Collins of the United States defeated No. 7 seed Sviatek 6:4, 6:1 to reach the first Grand Slam final.
"It feels amazing! After so many years of hard work, when I was a child, I practiced on the field for a few hours... It's incredible to be standing here now, and I'm so happy! Collins said.
For the next game, Barty said that Collins' batting was excellent, and all he needed to do to get the ball back on the field from anywhere on the bottom line was how to make Collins out of balance.
Collins said the match against the world's number one player in her hometown will be a fantastic showdown and she is looking forward to a great match with Barty.
Editors: Shuwen, Yu Sihui, Wu Junkuan, Du Qiuyu (Intern)