No Australian Has Won an Australian Open Singles Title Since the ’70s. Can Barty?

“I’ve been on-site quite a bit, not really going for leisurely strolls around Melbourne,” said Barty, the reigning French Open champion, who is nicknamed Ash. “When I have an hour or two, it’s more just going back to the apartment and spending time with family. That’s about it.”

Barty is the first Australian woman to reach the Australian Open semifinals since Wendy Turnbull in 1984. She is scheduled to face Sofia Kenin, an American seeded 14th, on Thursday for a spot in the final.

No Australian woman has reached the final since Turnbull in 1980; no Australian woman has won the title here since Chris O’Neil in 1978, a time when most top international players did not compete in the event. The last men’s singles champion in the tournament from the host country was Mark Edmonson in 1976. In the 33 years that this tournament has been held at Melbourne Park, Barty, 23, is the first woman to even reach the singles quarterfinals twice.

Barty has been a far steadier hand at the helm of Australian tennis hopes than Samantha Stosur, who beat Serena Williams to win the 2011 United States Open but failed after that to get past the third round in Australia’s Grand Slam tournament.

Even retired male stars like Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter, who both won two Grand Slam titles outside Australia, were not able to do the same at home, to the annual disappointment of local fans.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/sports/tennis/australian-open-ashleigh-barty.html?emc=rss&partner=rss