(Reuters) – A look at the key facts and records of Australia’s Ash Barty and American Danielle Collins ahead of their meeting in the Australian Open final on Saturday (prefix number denotes seeding):
1-ASH BARTY
Age: 25
WTA ranking: 1
Grand Slam titles: 2
Career WTA titles: 14
2021 Australian Open performance: Quarter-finals
Best Australian Open performance: Semi-finals (2020)
ROAD TO THE FINAL
First round: Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-0 6-1
Second round: Lucia Bronzetti (Italy) 6-1 6-1
Third round: 30-Camila Giorgi (Italy) 6-2 6-3
Fourth round: Amanda Anisimova (United States) 6-4 6-3
Quarter-finals: 21-Jessica Pegula (United States) 6-2 6-0
Semi-finals: Madison Keys (United States) 6-1 6-3
Barty has hardly broken sweat in the tournament so far, storming into the final without dropping a set in her pursuit of becoming the first Australian to win the year’s first major since Chris O’Neil in 1978.
27-DANIELLE COLLINS
Age: 28
WTA ranking: 30
Grand Slam titles: 0
Career WTA titles: 2
2021 Australian Open performance: Second round
Best Australian Open performance: Semi-finals (2019)
ROAD TO THE FINAL
First round: Caroline Dolehide (United States) 6-1 6-3
Second round: Ana Konjuh (Croatia) 6-4 6-3
Third round: Clara Tauson (Denmark) 4-6 6-4 7-5
Fourth round: 19-Elise Mertens (Belgium) 4-6 6-4 6-4
Quarter-finals: Alize Cornet (France) 7-5 6-1
Semi-finals: 7-Iga Swiatek (Poland) 6-4 6-1
Not many would have expected Collins to reach the final but the American has battled her way through the draw with a couple of come-from-behind victories. A hard-hitting baseliner, Collins has the weapons that could hurt Barty.
HEAD TO HEAD: Barty leads 3-1
(Compiled by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
