RDS and Sportish will present the final between Ashleigh Barty and Danielle Collins on Friday night through Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
After losing to Ashley Barty in the semifinals, Madison Keys decided to give the American Daniel Collins some tips before her fight for the Australian Open title.
It will not be an easy task for Collins, who will try to prevent the top Barty from becoming the first Australian player in 44 years to win the Australian Open title in the single.
On his way to Saturday’s final, Barty has a 10-game winning streak and has lost just 21 games in six games without losing a set. She has also won 81 of her last 82 serve games.
Keys, who lost 6-1, 6-3 to Barty in the semifinals, is not surprised by these statistics.
“You have a game plan in mind, but it does it all so well,” Keys said. It serves incredibly well, so you do not receive free points on its service.
“His cut ball goes much lower and deeper than in the past, so it’s difficult to do anything about it. Then you try to play in her forehand and the game can open. I think we see her thinking, “wow, that’s amazing”. He seems to be in complete control of everything. »
Collins has only beaten Barty once in four games, a year ago in a pre-tournament Australian Open in Adelaide. She secured her place in her first Grand Slam final with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek.
Collins, 28, suffered from endometriosis and underwent emergency surgery last April, affecting most of the rest of her season. She is one victory away from realizing her childhood dream of becoming a Grand Slam champion. His previous best performance in a major tournament was a defeat in the semifinals by Australia in 2019.
Collins said the depth of women’s tennis in recent years gives her confidence that she could upset Barty, the champion of Wimbledon and the 2019 French Open, in the final.
“There have been so many players in the last two years who have won a Grand Slam that they were not meant to be won and that gives hope to all the players,” said Collins, No. 30 in the world. Whether you are out of the top-50 or the top-100, or you are in the top 10, everyone has the opportunity to go far in a tournament. I took this attitude and tried to do my best and tried to believe in the way I play. »
Barty agrees with Collins that the door is now open to adults, citing Emma Raducanu’s surprise at last year’s US Open as an example after the qualifiers were cleared.
“I think the way the WTA or the Women’s Round has changed over the last three, four, five years has been incredible,” Barty said. The depth of the set increased dramatically and I think that forced everyone to raise their level. We saw it recently with different winners and different tournaments, anyone in the draw can win the event. »
This “set” is now limited to two players in Melbourne Park.
“What I really admire about Ashleigh’s game is the variety and different play styles she has from almost any other player,” Collins said.
Barty reciprocated the compliment.
“He’s a great forward,” Barty said of Collins. He is someone who stands on the baseline and can hit the ball from anywhere on the field. “I think the challenge will be to try to destabilize it.”
Keys, a finalist in New York in 2017, advised Collins to try to stay in the moment.
“I think the hard part is that she (Barty) makes you think a little too much, and you start to rush a little too much, you feel like you have to do too much sometimes,” Keys said. It puts such pressure on you. »
