WATCH: “I was CRYING before coming out” Ash Barty pays tribute to Dylan Alcott after her semi-final win over Maddison Keys
Follow Us
Ash Barty and Dylan Alcott
World No. 1 Ash Barty continues to display her dominance as she advances into the finals of the 2022 Australian Open. Barty defeated Maddison Keys 6-1, 6-3 in just 62 minutes to enter her first-ever finals at Melbourne Park as she looks to capture her home Slam for the first time.
It was a good day for Australian tennis as the Australian players continued to advance to the finals. In the men’s doubles, it will be an all-Australian final between the pairs of Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden. In mixed doubles, the pair of Jaimee Fourlis and Jason Kubler are also in the finals. Wheelchair great Dylan Alcott also played his last match at Melbourne Park but was unfortunate to lose in his 8th and last finals having been a 7-time champion.
“Dylan for me is the forefront of that. He has inspired the nation, he has inspired the whole globe. We were watching his match today and I was with my physio before coming out when he was saying his acceptance speech, I was crying and I was like ‘Shut up, get up and get ready, game on!’
“I just wanted to watch Dylan and for him to share that moment with so many people and like he said, you look around and the way that he and the Australian Open have worked together to open up opportunities for more disabled people all around the world and play tennis and have a go, it is just exceptional and I couldn’t be more proud of him,” said Barty after her semi-final win paying tribute to Alcott who played on the court before Barty’s semi-finals.
Ash Barty has dropped only 21 games on her way to the finals
It was a clinical performance for Barty who has now become the first Australian woman in 42 years to reach the finals of the Australian Open and she has done it in some style having dropped only 21 games in her 6 matches and can boast of reaching the finals without dropping a single set and has her service broken only 1 so far.
She would however have to wait for a while before she knows who will be her opponent in the finals as she will now take on the winner from the second semi-final between Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins.
Stay Updated!
Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)