Top-seeded Australian Ash Barty plays a backhand return to Madison Keys of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
Madison Keys of the U.S. plays a forehand return to Ash Barty of Australia during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Top-seeded Australian Ash Barty plays a forehand return to Madison Keys of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Madison Keys of the U.S. plays a forehand return to Ash Barty of Australia during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Top-seeded Australian Ash Barty plays a backhand return to Madison Keys of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Madison Keys of the U.S. plays a backhand return to Ash Barty of Australia during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
Top-seeded Australian Ash Barty plays a forehand return to Madison Keys of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
Madison Keys of the U.S. reacts after losing a point to Ash Barty of Australia during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
Top-seeded Australian Ash Barty plays a backhand return to Madison Keys of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Madison Keys of the U.S. reacts after losing a point to Ash Barty of Australia during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
Supporters of Australia’s Ash Barty hold up signs of support during her semifinal against Madison Keys of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
General view during the Semifinals match between Madison Keys of United States against Ashleigh Barty of Australia during day 11 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 27, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Top-seeded Australian Ash Barty plays a backhand in her semifinal match against Madison Keys of United States during day 11 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 27, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Top-seeded Australian Ash Barty plays a forehand return to Madison Keys of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Top-seeded Australian Ash Barty reacts after defeating Madison Keys of the U.S. in their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
Top-seeded Australian Ash Barty, left, is congratulated by Madison Keys of the U.S. following their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Top-seeded Australian Ash Barty celebrates after her semifinal victory over American Madison Keys on Thursday (late Wednesday night PT) at the Australian Open in Melbourne. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Madison Keys of the U.S. waves as she leaves Rod Laver Arena after her semifinal loss to Ash Barty of Australia at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
American Danielle Collins serves to Iga Swiatek of Poland during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Iga Swiatek of Poland plays a forehand return to Danielle Collins of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
American Danielle Collins plays a forehand return to Iga Swiatek of Poland during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts during her semifinal loss to Danielle Collins of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
American Danielle Collins plays a backhand return to Iga Swiatek of Poland during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Iga Swiatek of Poland plays a forehand return to Danielle Collins of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
American Danielle Collins reacts after winning a point against Iga Swiatek of Poland during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)
Iga Swiatek of Poland plays a forehand return to Danielle Collins of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
American Danielle Collins plays a forehand return to Iga Swiatek of Poland during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
American Danielle Collins reacts after winning a point against Iga Swiatek of Poland during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
American Danielle Collins celebrates after defeating Iga Swiatek of Poland in their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
MELBOURNE, Australia — Ash Barty ended a long drought by reaching the Australian Open final with an efficient 6-1, 6-3 victory over unseeded Madison Keys.
She still has one to go.
Barty is the first Australian woman to reach the singles final of her home Grand Slam tournament since Wendy Turnbull in 1980. No Australian has won the title since Chris O’Neil in 1978.
The top-ranked Barty conceded only 17 games on her way to the semifinals and continued her strong form by beating Keys, the 2017 U.S. Open runner-up.
Barty hit 20 winners to only eight for Keys. She converted four of her six break-point opportunities, and saved the only two break points she faced on her serve. In six matches so far a the tournament, she has dropped one service game.
Barty has won major titles on grass at Wimbledon and on clay at the French Open, and she is one win away from adding another on a hard court.
“It’s unreal. Honestly, it’s just incredible,” Barty said in her on-court TV interview. “I love coming out here and playing in Australia.
“As an Aussie, we’re exceptionally spoiled we get to play in our own back yard. Now we have a chance to play for a title. It’s unreal.”
Keys was playing in the Australian Open semifinals for the first time since 2015, when she lost to eventual champion Serena Williams. That year was the last time a top-seeded player won the women’s title at Melbourne Park.
Keys was on a career-best 10-match winning streak ahead of the semifinals, including a run to the title in a tune-up tournament in Adelaide – her first WTA title since 2019 – and a first-round win over 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Her full tally of 11 match wins this month already equals her total for 2021, when she dropped into the 50s in the rankings. She’s expected to return to the top 30 next week.
The stadium was limited to two-thirds capacity, with the state government allowing an increase from the earlier 50% restriction on ticketed courts late this week as part of the easing of rules in place for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most of the support, obviously, was for Barty. Chants of “Let’s go Barty, Let’s go!” – combined with coordinated clapping – were regular at each changeover, with pockets of fans wearing the yellow shirt synonymous with the Australian player scattered around the arena. Rod Laver, the aging Australian tennis great, was in the stadium himself.
Barty will next play Saturday (late Friday night PT) against American Danielle Collins, who dominated 2020 French Open champion Iga Switek, 6-4, 6-1, in the second semifinal to reach the first Grand Slam final of her career.
Collins, 28, broke Switek’s serve in the first game of each set and raced to 4-0 leads in both. She hit 27 winners and had only 13 unforced errors.
Collins’ run to the Australian Open semifinals in 2019 was her best previous result at a Grand Slam tournament.
She says she’s looking forward to taking on the home favorite in the final.
“We’ve had some incredible battles,” she said.
While Barty is potentially one win away from giving the host nation a title, there’s a guaranteed win in another competition.
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, dubbed “Special K,” ensured an all-Australian men’s doubles final with 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over third-seeded Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in a nearly full Rod Laver Arena. Fans were allowed into the main stadium with grounds passes during the day session and didn’t need stadium tickets for the afternoon session.
On a near-empty adjoining Margaret Court Arena, Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell beat the second-seeded team of Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, 6-3, 7-6 (9).
Also on Day 11, Dylan Alcott’s farewell tournament ended with a loss in the wheelchair quad final to Sam Schroder of the Netherlands.
Alcott was named Australian of the Year at celebrations for the national day and attended a ceremony in the capital of Canberra between his win in the semifinals and the final.
Alcott retires with 15 Grand Slam titles in wheelchair quad. He completed an unprecedented Golden Slam last year, winning all four majors as well as the Tokyo Paralympics gold medal.
After her win, Barty paid tribute to Alcott’s career.
“He’s inspired a nation,” said Barty, who watched the wheelchair quad final with her physiotherapist. “We were watching his match today (and) when he was saying his acceptance speech, we were crying. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
