The Ash That Roared

In the end in Melbourne, for the first time in over four decades, it was an Aussie who roared the loudest.

Roar! @ashbarty celebrates winning the 2022 Australian Open final pic.twitter.com/Ypxrfy7HJd

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) January 29, 2022

The roads of Ash Barty and Danielle Collins to their meeting in the 2022 Australian Open women's singles final had been anything but traveled in a straight line.

World #1 Barty, the pride of Australia, was once a junior star who was aware enough early in her pro career to realize that she was losing herself and wasn't yet ready for the pressure of the WTA tour. She took a sabbatical from the sport, played a little pro cricket, and returned in the sort of healthy frame of mind that has allowed her to progress through the ranks to the top of her field, winning two majors, acing every "test" thrown her way, and virtually camping out in the top ranking for more than two years.

Meanwhile, 28-year old Collins has had to fight for everything she's got, from learning the sport on public courts to struggling financially to travel to the biggest junior events. With her belief strong that she could succeed on the game's biggest stages no matter how she got there, she went the college route, then transferred schools after being unsatisfied with being a bench player. She went on to win a pair of NCAA women's singles championships at Virginia, titles bookending wrist surgery, then reached the Australian Open semi in her Melbourne debut in 2019. Since then, she's been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and last spring had endometriosis surgery that included the removal of a tennis-ball sized cyst from her ovaries. She returned soon afterward and won back-to-back tour titles in '21, the first of her career.

After evoking Evonnoe Goologang by wearing an outfit that paid tribute to the Aussie great last summer during her Wimbledon title run, Barty's path this time around had led her back home to attempt to become the first Australian to win the home nation's slam in forty-four years. For a full two weeks, playing all but one match at night and away from the Melbourne heat that thwarted the viable runs of so many other worthy contenders, Barty has *looked* like the eventual champ. Conquered quarterfinal opponent Jessie Pegula said of the Aussie, "She does everything a little bit better than everyone else," as her combination of power and finesse have made her a difficult to figure out problem for opponents, one who can out-hit some and frustrate and out-think (w/ the help of her ever-present backhand slice shot) those she can't, while also having a (though not huge) notoriously difficult to break, remarkably accurate serve. Barty arrived on final night having not lost a set and having lost serve just once in forty-seven service games through six matches.

#27-seed Collins, who one gets the feeling has always felt as if she could would be a champion, spent most of the past two weeks making everyone else realize that she very well could be right. Not given anything, Collins has also not taken anything for granted. Having had to fight for her tennis career, Collins had ridden an impressive display of aggressive tennis in Melbourne to a chance to take something for her own, to become the first former NCAA player to win a women's major since 1979 (AO/Barbara Jordan), as well as officially rechart the course of her entire tennis career just as she is set to make her Top 10 ranking debut in the coming week.

In front of (finally) a packed crowd at Rod Laver Arena, after two weeks of capacity being capped at 50%, Barty and Collins, in the first major since a pair of teenagers did battle on Ashe in the U.S. Open final, showed that the irresistible top of women's tennis isn't just about newbies and lingering legends, it's also the home of fascinating players not even yet 30 who've lived lives, made tough decisions, and found success in both what was left them and what they sought out and obstained on their own.

Amid such an environment, there was a flesh-and-blood Chris O'Neil, the last Aussie woman to win in Melbourne back in 1978, bringing the Daphne Akhurst Trophy to the court for pre-match ceremonies before taking a seat in the front row of the stands, for once (and maybe a last time, after over four decades of being a "grand slam footnote" often known in name only) serving in the rare role of tennis royalty in a nation that perhaps adores their champions more than any other.

???

???? Christine O'Neil, the last Australian woman to win an #AusOpen women's singles title, delivers the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup to Rod Laver Arena ??#AO2022 pic.twitter.com/ymtHZwhruY

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2022

In the final, throughout the 1st set, Barty continued to do what she'd done the entire two weeks in Melbourne, control the action and barely give her opponent even a hint of an opening. While Barty got few looks through the early games on the Collins serve, she gave her U.S. foe even less. In four of her five service games in the set, the Aussie took 40/love leads as the successfully aggressive tactics that Collins had previously employed in her return game at this AO made little dent against Barty's accurate serving.

Collins had one ever-so-brief moment in which to seize an edge in the set as, via a big forehand shot, she *did* manage to get to deuce on Barty's serve in game #5, something of a feat in itself of late. Barty flew a forehand down the line to give Collins a BP look, an even rarer occurrence. But the #1 seed erased Collins' brief advantage with three quick points, finishing off the hold for a 3-2 lead with an ace. A game later, Barty increased her return game aggression and carved out a BP chance of her own. Collins' double-fault put her down a break at 4-2. Serving for the set, Barty fired as ace on SP to take the 1st at 6-3, having lost just one point on her first serve thus far in the match.

Down a set just like almost every other opponent Barty's faced Down Under this January, Collins kept to form and didn't throw in the towel. In fact, she surged back in the 2nd set with a renewed purpose. Despite being unable to find a way into the Aussie's serve in the opening set, Collins continued to step in and whack return shots and something finally clicked. A deep return elicited a Barty error, giving Collins a pair of BP chances in game #2. Barty saved the first with an ace, but a Collins backhand return gave her quick control of the rally on #2. Coming in behind a forehand approach shot, Collins put away a smash to lead 2-0. She saved a pair of BP a game later and pushed her lead to 3-0.

Finally hitting her stride off the ground, and yelling in approval follow points in that oh-so-slightly-uncomfortable way that has always been Collins' style, the sudden turn of events was clearly making the partisan Aussie crowd uneasy. Collins' aggressive tactics built her lead to 4-1 as she hit through the Aussie's variety, and saw more uncharacteristic errors slip into Barty's game, as well. A sailed swing volley put Barty behind 15/30 in game #6, and a DF gave Collins two BP. A deep return was followed by another error off Barty's racket and Collins suddenly had a two-break edge at 5-1.

With Collins soaring, things seemed sure to be pushed to a 3rd. So much so that Collins' fairly loose service game while serving for the set seemed like more of a delaying action than a turning point, as Barty getting the opportunity to serve another game in the 2nd while trailing 5-2 felt more like a case of her being able to fine tune her game for the decider, getting in a little extra practice at upping her aggression in a pressure-free environment before things *truly* got serious.

But we've seen great champions turn sets on a dime before. While it's occurred with the likes of Serena Williams turning a slide into a U-turn, we've learned the past few seasons as Barty has quickly gained in status that she, too, is wise to be considered too dangerous to *ever* be given an additional opportunity, no matter how small it might seem in the moment. This was one of those cases when one more chance was one too many for Collins to allow.

Cleaning up her game, Barty went back into 1st set mode, taking a 40/love lead on serve and holding to close to 5-3. With Collins serving for the 2nd set once again, Barty's inside-out forehand shot broke open a game that the Bannerette had led 30/15. A big second serve return got Barty a BP, which she converted with a Collins error to suddenly get the set back on serve.

Feeling the turn of momentum, and riding the wave provided by the Aussie crowd, Barty's aggressive play and power forehands (she'd turned the tide by mostly going away from her bread-and-butter backhand slices) kept up the pressure. A Barty ace knotted the set at 5-5 as Collins' big edge was officially gone.

Oddly, Barty went back to the slices in game #11 and seemed to slightly pull back from the aggressive play that got her back in the set. It helped along a slide-stopping hold from Collins. Serving to force a tie-break, Barty fell behind 15/30, but pulled out three big serves to get the hold.

The Aussie dominated the resulting tie-break, taking a mini-break lead at 1-0 and never relinquishing it. Barty led 4-0 before Collins got on the board, and reached championship point at 6-2 with a Collins forehand error. Serving her first point to end Australia's long title drought in Melbourne, Barty completed her 2nd set comeback with a forehand passing shot to take the breaker and win the 6-3/7-6(2) women's final.

Win a Grand Slam on home soil? Completed it mate ??????@ashbarty defeats Danielle Collins 6-3 7-6(2) to become the #AO2022 women’s singles champion.

??: @wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/TwXQ9GACBS

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2022

With her feat accomplished, Barty let loose a loud, long and uncharacteristic roar as the Aussie crowd went wild.

History: Made! pic.twitter.com/zdVFOvPW8u

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) January 29, 2022

Made Down Under ™?????@ashbarty • #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/9zAY1GKD3w

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2022

The win gives Barty a third major under her belt in three final appearances, one off the Open era record for consecutive wins in major finals to start a career, a mark jointly held by Monica Seles and Naomi Osaka at 4-0.

Officially the first home-grown champion at the tournament in 44 years, doing so less than seven months after becoming the first Aussie woman to win Wimbledon in 41, Barty suddenly finds herself three-quarters of the way to a Career Slam. Her major titles runs on three surfaces rank her with only Williams sisters and the men's "Big 3" among active players to have proven such versatility (and with only Maria Sharapova and Andre Agassi joining the list amongst players who've been active this century), and her hold on the #1 ranking (which she *could* have lost at this slam) is now secure for a decent while longer. Barty has held the top spot for all but four weeks since first climbing the ranking mountain in June 2019. Soon she'll pass Justine Henin for seventh on the all-time weeks at #1 list, and Chris Evert for the fourth-most all-time consecutive weeks in the top spot.

Barty's Melbourne run was her most dominant yet at a major. She took the title without dropping a set for the first time, lost just thirty games in seven matches, and had her serve broken only three times the entire tournament (twice by Collins in the 2nd set). After ending her '21 season following the U.S. Open, then heading home to Australia for the first time in seven months, Barty has opened '22 by going 11-0 on home soil, winning 22 straight sets after dropping the 1st in her opening match in Adelaide vs. Coco Gauff. 28-3 in Australia since 2020, Barty has also posted a 22-1 mark in her last twenty-three matches against the Top 30, with the win over Collins adding another "W" to the mix.

So, while the tournament's scheduling surely dealt from the bottom of the deck in order to make Barty's title run all that much more possible, the fact is that this end result would likely have happened *without* all that effort. The world #1 has mastered the "art of the routine" while the rest of the world has searched (often in vain) for a "new normal" during a two-year pandemic that has brought out the worst in humanity nearly as much as it has the best.

The biggest surprise that came out of Saturday's women's final day didn't even occur during the match. It came *after* it, as Evonne Goolagong was announced to be the presenter of the angular Daphne Akhurst trophy to fellow Indigenous Australian Barty.

??????

The moment Evonne Goolagong Cawley crowned @ashbarty the #AusOpen women's singles champion ??#AO2022 pic.twitter.com/ASBtI8xHjg

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2022

But, really, was even *that* all that shocking? Surely, everyone was hoping to see the 7-time slam champ walking onto Laver in the event that Barty won the title... and as soon as Hall of Famer/master-of-cermony Todd Woodbridge announced a ceremony "surprise" who *didn't* correctly guess what it was?

It was another case of the "unexpected" becoming "expected" during this "Barty Party" era where, even on a tour deep enough to still find room on the big stages for many others to shine, right before our eyes, it's become clear that title runs such as this by the 25-year old Queenslander *are* the new normal.

Daphne and @ashbarty, fast friends ??#AusOpen · #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/lRUm7sVsQV

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2022

=DAY 13 NOTES= ...earlier in the day, the junior girls champion was crowned as #1-seed Petra Marcinko once more proved to be a big-stage title sniper.

Your 2022 Australian Open Juniors champ: Croatia’s Petra Marcinko. pic.twitter.com/8GRXcupqfR

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) January 29, 2022

The 16-year old Croat picked up three J1/JA singles crowns in '21, as well as reaching the U.S. Open girls QF. She ended her season with a two-event surge that shot her from #10 to the year-end #1 in one remarkable leap following her final event. After having won the Eddie Herr doubles with Diana Shnaider (who just won the AO crown w/ Clervie Ngounoue) in her penultimate tournament, Marcinko closed with a flourish by becoming the first to sweep the Orange Bowl s/d since 1993, defeating fellow contenders for the #1 spot Linda Fruhvirtova (QF) and Shnaider (F) along the way.

On Saturday, Marcinko took a close opening set vs. #8-seeded Traralgon champ Sofia Costoulas, then raced to a straight sets, 7-5/6-1, victory over the Belgian to join Mirjana Lucic (1997) and Jelena Kostanic (1998) as former AO girls champs hailing from Croatia.

Magical moments??

???? Petra Marcinko · #AusOpen · #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/FkN4j5bB1k

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2022

...the women's doubles champs are still to be determined on Sunday, as Barbora Krejcikova (w/ Katerina Siniakova) will try to win an AO crown for a *fourth* straight year after taking three consecutive MX titles in Melbourne from 2019-21. They'll face first slam title-seekers Anna Danilina (another NCAA product, having played at Florida) and Beatriz Haddad.

It'd be the first AO doubles win for the Czechs, who didn't even win in Melbourne when they were juniors. In fact, the AO was the *only* major they didn't win in '13, as they swept the RG-WI-US junior slam titles that followed it that season. Krejcikova *did* reach the AO girls doubles final that year, but alongside Ukraine's Oleksandra Korashvili. Siniakova partnered Fiona Ferro in that event, falling in the 2nd Round.

..."INTERESTING"... ON DAY 13:

At least *I guess*' that's what you call it when the women's trophy ceremony includes congratulatory shout-outs to both the Tennis Australia chairwoman (Jayne Hrdlicka) and TA CEO/AO tournament director (Craig Tiley), noting the past "tough two years" that the event and nation have endured during the pandemic, while conveniently leaving out how that same apparatus of power just over two weeks ago attempted to sell out the hard work done by the Aussie populace as they disregarded Australia's public health rules and protocols, displayed unholy favortism for one individual while showing an accompanying lack of respect for the hundreds of other players who chose to adhere to the established rules, putting the AO's very credibility in jeopardy, as an effort was made to try to force an unvaxed men's #1 through the eye of a non-existent needle (no pun intended, I don't think) to get him into the tournament.

Ultimately, that whole gang got lucky that *someone* decided to uphold the actual rules (for whatever ultimate reason), and that the player in question's own misguided entitlement (at best) and willful deceit (at heart) finally led to his deportation. Essentially, they sided with an individual who never uncountered an opinion of his own that he didn't think should be chiseled on a stone tablet, while also (until the international community called out the policy) trying to stifle any public support for Peng Shuai on tournament grounds.

Tennis and its majors have proven to be innately resilient over the past two+ years, overcoming numerous obstacles placed in their path and a series of self-inflicted wounds that have only made the triumphs more remarkable. This Australian Open has been a success, too -- mostly because of a string of Aussies (many of them players) putting their heads down and doing what they do (often insanely well) -- in spite of the efforts of those "in charge," who surely don't deserve pats on the back for *any* of it. Not even one.


...BACKSTORY ON DAY 13:

"I was never a child prodigy, I wasn't tapped to be the next big thing when I was coming up and that kept me humble.

"I worked harder because nothing was given to me, and there's no time to feel sorry for yourself."

A 2019 interview w/ Danielle Collins: https://t.co/oC0l8jiWfP pic.twitter.com/9KwVOE7ngg

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 28, 2022

...HERE, HERE... ON DAY 13:

Why is my name so difficult. I mean, I’ve been called Everett, ( Jim) Evers (ESPN) and now… Evans.. I find it hilarious..???? pic.twitter.com/hMmv8gdApm

— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) January 29, 2022

...MAYBE IT'S ME... ON DAY 13:

...but that plate is HUGE, and seems like it needs a bit more engraving. I'm just sayin.'

What a rise ??

Two weeks of thrilling #AusOpen tennis from Danielle Collins ??

Top-10 ranking incoming! ?? https://t.co/dFwPNzokq1 pic.twitter.com/AuWIy6TQmC

— wta (@WTA) January 29, 2022

...WHAT'S AUSSIE SLANG FOR "INDIGENOUS ATHLETIC MT.RUSHMORE"?... ON DAY 13:

And what's the Australian equivalent of "Mt.Rushmore?"

??????@CathyFreeman • @ashbarty • #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/MlbEmzMKVs

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2022

...COOL OPERATION, BUT... ON DAY 13:

Seriously, just let the coaching happen in the open. I mean, this is ridiculous. Should Asderaki-Moore's nickname be "Mata Hari" now?"

I can't recall seeing this before. Greek official Eva Asderaki-Moore standing in the tunnel below the Tsitsipas box to listen out for illegal coaching, and signals towards the match umpire when she hears it. Nicely executed officiating here. #AusOpen https://t.co/SzcI57qWln

— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) January 28, 2022

I mean, coaching is going to happen regardless. Some get punished for it (see Serena), some don't (see Nadal)... it just sets up a whole favoritism argument that helps nobody and makes the sport look foolish. Has allowing coaching to openly happen on court led to the soul of the game being ripped from its proverbial chest and fed to it like a donut on the WTA tour? (That's a rhetorical question, by the way.)

Of course, this also brings to mind that the last few days saw the Serena U.S. Open default brought up in comparison to both Shapovalov and Medvedev not being rightly punished during matches for verbal attacks (or worse) on chair umpires this week. Much of the talk has centered on Williams *being* punished but the same not happening to the men. Obviously, if the argument is to have merit, the take should be that they *all* should have been punished, but I get the feeling that the people who chose to complain years later about Serena *correctly* having points taken away would *still* adhere to the thought that she *shouldn't* have been punished, either... which sort of loses track of what should be the whole discussion about rules being *applied* equally and the notion of "decorum," and makes it *really* about people being angry that *their* favorite wasn't given the same preferential treatment as others.

And, frankly, that's were the plot thread got all muddled (emotionally hijacked, really) the last time around.

Three and counting...#AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/RQylJqW47i

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2022

=WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Ash Barty/AUS def. #27 Danielle Collins/USA 6-3/7-6(2)

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES SF=
#1 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) vs. Danilina/Haddad Maia (KAZ/BRA)

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
#5 Mladenovic/Dodig (FRA/CRO) def. (WC) Fourlis/Kubler (AUS/AUS) 6-3/6-4

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Aniek Van Koot/NED 6-1/6-1

=WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) def. #2 Kamiji/Shuker (JPN/GBR) 7-5/3-6 [10-2]

=GIRLS SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Petra Marcinko/CRO def. #8 Sofia Costoulas/BEL 7-5/6-1

=GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Ngounoue/Shnaider (USA/RUS) def. Cross/Mboko (CAN/CAN) 6-4/6-3

*RECENT WOMEN'S SLAM WINNERS*
2019 AO: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2019 RG: Ash Barty, AUS*
2019 WI: Simona Halep, ROU
2019 US: Bianca Andreescu, CAN*
2020 AO: Sofia Kenin, USA*
2020 US: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2020 RG: Iga Swiatek, POL*
2021 AO: Naomi Osaka, JPN (3)
2021 RG: Barbora Krejcikova, CZE*
2021 WI: Ash Barty, AUS
2021 US: Emma Raducanu, GBR*
2022 AO: Ash Barty, AUS (3)
--
* - first-time slam champ

*AUSTRALIAN OPEN SINGLES CHAMPIONS SINCE 2010*
2010 Serena Williams, USA
2011 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2013 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (2)
2014 Li Na, CHN
2015 Serena Williams, USA
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Serena Williams, USA (3)
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2020 Sofia Kenin, USA
2021 Naomi Osaka, JPN (2)
2022 Ash Barty, AUS

*AUSSIES IN AO FINAL - OPEN ERA*
1969 Margaret Court (W)
1970 Margaret Court (W)
1970 Kerry Melville
1971 Margaret Court (W)
1971 Evonne Goolagong
1972 Evonne Goolagong
1973 Margaret Court (W)
1973 Evonne Goolagong
1974 Evonne Goolagong (W)
1975 Evonne Goolagong (W)
1976 Evonne Goolagong Cawley (W)
1977a Kerry Melville Reid (W)
1977a Dianne Fromholtz
1977b Evonne Goolagong Cawley (W)
1977b Helen Gourlay Cawley
1978 Chris O'Neil (W)
1980 Wendy Turnbull
2022 Ash Barty (W)

*CAREER SLAM SINGLES TITLES - ACTIVE*
23...Serena Williams, USA
7...Venus Williams, USA
4...Naomi Osaka, JPN
4...Kim Clijsters, BEL
3...ASH BARTY, AUS
3...Angelique Kerber, GER
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Simona Halep, ROU
2...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2...Petra Kvitova, CZE
2...Garbine Muguruza, ESP

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE*
33...Serena Williams, USA (23-10)
16...Venus Williams, USA (7-9)
8...Kim Clijsters, BEL (4-4)
5...Simona Halep, ROU (2-3)
5...Victoria Azarenka, BLR (2-3)
4...Naomi Osaka, JPN (4-0)
4...Angelique Kerber, GER (3-1)
4...Garbine Muguruza, ESP (2-2)
4...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (2-2)
3...ASH BARTY, AUS (3-0)*
3...Petra Kvitova, CZE (2-1)
2...Sofia Kenin, USA (1-1)
2...Sloane Stephens, USA (1-1)
2...Samantha Stosur, AUS (1-1)
2...Karolina Pliskova, CZE (0-2)
2...Vera Zvonareva, RUS (0-2)

*FORMER NCAA PLAYERS IN AO SINGLES FINAL*
1979 Barbara Jordan, USA (W)
1983 Kathy Jordan, USA
2021 Jennifer Brady, USA
2022 Danielle Collins, USA*
-
* - NCAA champion

*WON SLAM WITHOUT LOSING SET - Open era*
Evonne Goolagong - 1971 Roland Garros
Billie Jean King - 1971 US Open
Billie Jean King - 1972 Roland Garros
Chris Evert - 1974 Roland Garros
Chris Evert - 1976 US Open
Chris Evert - 1977 US Open
Chris Evert - 1978 US Open
Chris Evert - 1981 Wimbledon
Martina Navratilova - 1983 Wimbledon
Martina Navratilova - 1983 US Open
Martina Navratilova - 1984 Wimbledon
Martina Navratilova - 1986 Wimbledon
Martina Navratilova - 1987 US Open
Steffi Graf - 1988 Australian Open
Steffi Graf - 1988 Roland Garros
Steffi Graf - 1989 Australian Open
Martina Navratilova - 1990 Wimbledon
Monica Seles - 1992 US Open
Steffi Graf - 1994 Australian Open
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario - 1994 Roland Garros
Mary Pierce - 1995 Australian Open
Steffi Graf - 1996 US Open
Martina Hingis - 1997 Australian Open
Martina Hingis - 1997 US Open
Lindsay Davenport - 1998 US Open
Lindsay Davenport - 1999 Wimbledon
Lindsay Davenport - 2000 Australian Open
Venus Williams - 2001 US Open
Serena Williams - 2002 Wimbledon
Serena Williams - 2002 US Open
Justine Henin - 2006 Roland Garros
Justine Henin - 2007 Roland Garros
Justine Henin - 2007 US Open
Maria Sharapova - 2008 Australian Open
Venus Williams - 2008 Wimbledon
Serena Williams - 2008 US Open
Serena Williams - 2010 Wimbledon
Marion Bartoli - 2013 Wimbledon
Serena Williams - 2014 US Open
Serena Williams - 2017 Australian Open
Iga Swiatek - 2020 Roland Garros
Emma Raducanu - 2021 U.S. Open
Ash Barty - 2022 Australian Open

*2022 AO LAVER/MCA NIGHT MATCH RECORDS*
6-0 - ASH BARTY
1-0 - Badosa,Cirstea,Halep,Kanepi,Kovinic,Sakkari
1-1 - DANEILLE COLLINS
1-1 - Anisimova,Osaka,Raducanu,Sabalenka,swiatek
0-1 - 12 players

*AUSTRALIAN OPEN GIRLS FINALS - since 2010*
2010 Karolina Pliskova/CZE d. Laura Robson/GBR
2011 An-Sophie Mestach/BEL d. Monica Puig/PUR
2012 Taylor Townsend/USA d. Yulia Putintseva/RUS
2013 Ana Konjuh/CRO d. Katerina Siniakova/CZE
2014 Elizaveta Kulichkova/RUS d. Jana Fett/CRO
2015 Tereza Mihalikova/SVK d. Katie Swan/GBR
2016 Vera Lapko/BLR d. Tereza Mihalikova/SVK
2017 Marta Kostyuk/UKR d. Rebeka Masarova/SUI
2018 Liang En-shuo/TPE d. Clara Burel/FRA
2019 Clara Tauson/DEN d. Leylah Fernandez/CAN
2020 Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva/AND d. Weronika Baszak/POL
2022 Petra Marcinko/CRO d. Sofia Costoulas/BEL

*RECENT GIRLS SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2017]
AO: Marta Kostyuk, UKR
RG: Whitney Osuigwe, USA
WI: Claire Liu, USA
US: Amanda Anisimova, USA
[2018]
AO: Liang En-shuo, TPE
RG: Coco Gauff, USA
WI: Iga Swiatek, POL
US: Wang Xiyu, CHN
[2019]
AO: Clara Tauson, DEN
RG: Leylah Fernandez, CAN
WI: Daria Snigur, UKR
US: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, COL
[2020]
AO: Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, AND
RG: Elsa Jacquemot, FRA
[2021]
RG: Linda Noskova, CZE
WI: Ane Mintegi del Olmo, ESP
US: Robin Montgomery, USA
[2022]
AO: Petra Marcinko, CRO

TOP QUALIFIER: Hailey Baptiste/USA
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #1 Ash Barty/AUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): Madison Keys/USA
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): #1 Ash Barty/AUS
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2 - #8 Kamilla Rakhimova/RUS def. Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva/AND 6-7(5)/7-6(8)/6-4 (VJK wins 1st from triple SP down; Rakhimova saves 2 MP in 2nd, winning 10-8 TB; 3:17)
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2r - Clara Tauson/DEN def. #6 Anett Kontaveit/EST 6-2/6-4 (breakout performance of early rounds)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 3r- #8 Paula Badosa/ESP def. Marta Kostyuk/UKR 6-2/5-7/6-4
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #30 Camila Giorgi/ITA (def. Potapova/RUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #18 Coco Gauff/USA (1r lost to Wang Qiang)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: (9) - Lucia Bronzetti/ITA, Jaqueline Cristian/ROU, Maddison Inglis/AUS, Nuria Parrizas Diaz/ESP, Gabriela Ruse/ROU, Wang Xinyu/CHN, Wang Xiyu/CHN, Maryna Zanevska/BEL, Zheng Qinwen/CHN
UPSET QUEENS: Romania
REVELATION LADIES: China
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Canada (0-2 1r, #23 Fernandez out; Andreescu/Bouchard DNP)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Hailey Baptiste/USA, Lucia Bronzetti/ITA, Martina Trevisan/ITA, Zheng Qinwen/CHN (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Maddison Inglis/AUS (3rd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Ash Barty (in SF)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Danielle Collins/USA
IT (Teen Stars-in-Waiting): Marta Kostyuk/UKR and Clara Tauson/DEN
COMEBACK PLAYER: Madison Keys/USA
CRASH & BURN: Emma Raducanu, GBR (2nd) and & Leylah Fernandez, CAN (1st) ['21 US F]
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Amanda Anisimova/USA (3rd Rd. - saved 2 MP, def. defending champ Naomi Osaka)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Alize Cornet/FRA and Kaia Kanepi/EST
LADY OF THE EVENING: Ash Barty/AUS
AUSTRALIAN LANGUARGE ARTS AWARD: Tennis Australia tries to push unvaccinated Novak Djokovic through Aussies borders, yet bans on-ground items featuring protests in support of Peng Shuai
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Krejcikova/Siniakova, Danilina/Haddad
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS: Angella Okutoyi/KEN and Meshkatolzahra Safi/IRA





All for Day 13. More tomorrow.