Ash Barty ended Australia's 44-year wait for a home winner at the Australian Open when the world number one staved off a fightback from American Danielle Collins to complete a 6-3 7-6(2) win on Saturday and pick up her third Grand Slam title.

Barty became the first Australian to win the event since Chris O'Neil captured the women's title in 1978.

O'Neil was present in the stands cheering as the crowd on the flooodlit Rod Laver Arena erupted when Barty converted her first match point with a forehand crosscourt winner.

Collins was the first to set up a break point in the contest with some forceful grounstrokes but a calm and composed Barty found the range with her serve to get out of trouble. She then broke in the next game when her opponent served up a double fault.

Some uncharacteristic forehand errors from Barty allowed Collins, who will make her top-10 debut when the rankings are updated on Monday, to break early in the second set and the American let out a shriek of "Come On" to celebrate opening up a 3-0 lead.

The American broke Barty's delivery, which looked almost impregnable this past fortnight, a second time in the set. But when Collins appeared to be on the verge of levelling the match as she served at 5-1, the Australian showed nerves of steel and raised her game.

Barty got the set back on serve and then dominated the tiebreak to complete a memorable comeback that left the home nation rejoicing all over Australia.

Australia conquered, Barty’s coach calls for change at US Open

Australian Open champion Ash Barty‘s coach believes her only chance of completing a career Grand Slam is if the organisers of the US Open opt for a different ball.

Craig Tyzzer’s belief that the world number one was capable of winning Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces was validated on Saturday when she triumphed at Melbourne Park.

The top seed overcame a 5-1 deficit in the second set to defeat Danielle Collins 6-3 7-6(2) to add to her major titles at Roland Garros in 2019 and Wimbledon last year.

But Tyzzer, who was the WTA Tour coach of the year in 2019, said the difference in the type of ball used at Flushing Meadows meant it would always be much more difficult for the Australian to succeed in New York.

“The US Open really needs to change the ball for the girls,” he said.

“The fact they still use a different ball for guys and girls, it’s a terrible ball for someone like Ash. If they keep that ball the same, no one like Ash will win that tournament.

“It’s the only tournament that has separate balls for the guys and girls. So if they don’t change the balls, she won’t win the US Open.”

At the US Open, men use slightly heavier balls than the women.

Tyzzer said after Barty won Wimbledon last year, he always felt that her best tennis would come on hard courts.

She grew up on the surface in Brisbane, but her first two Grand Slam titles came on the red clay of Roland Garros and on the grass at Wimbledon.

“It’s amazing that she’s been able to do it. It’s pretty impressive,” he said.

“I think we’ve all got to sit back and just look at what she’s been able to do on different surfaces and just her ability to play the level of tennis that she does.

“I mean, sometimes, I’m just in awe of it.”

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