On the eve of the Australian Open, world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, who remained away from the circuit for a yr resulting from the pandemic, received Sunday in Melbourne in the ultimate of the Yarra Valley Classic in opposition to Garbine Muguruza 7 -6 (7/3), 6-4.
The preparatory week for the first Grand Slam lifting ended completely for the Australian in opposition to the Spaniard, fifteenth in the world and former No. 1 in 2017.
Barty, 24, rapidly regained his rhythm after preserving himself from Covid-19 for a yr on his island-continent and provided himself in entrance of his viewers a ninth title on the WTA circuit.
Auspicious before his debut in opposition to Montenegrin Danka Kovinic (77th in the world) on Tuesday at the Australian Open, the place Barty reached the semi-finals in 2020.
“I come to the Australian Open enthusiastic, well prepared and ready to play,” stated the Australian after her success in opposition to Muguruza.
During the ultimate of the Gippsland Trophy, one other preparation match for the Australian Open performed in Melbourne, the Belgian Elise Mertens, twentieth participant in the world, simply received in opposition to the Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 6- 1.
“It means a lot that we can play tennis again … I can’t wait for next week,” stated Mertens, who received his sixth WTA title in Melbourne. Opposite, Kanepi was enjoying his first ultimate on the circuit since 2013.
At the Grampians Trophy, whose ultimate was canceled resulting from the overloaded schedule of the gamers, the match led to the semi-finals with the victories of Estonian Anett Kontaveit in opposition to Greece’s Maria Sakkari 2-6, 6-3 , 11-9 and American Ann Li in opposition to compatriot Jennifer Brady 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (5/7), 10-6.
– Sinner recurrence –
Already winner of the Sofia match in November, the younger Italian Jannik Sinner, 19, received his second ATP title, beating his compatriot Stefano Travaglia 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the ultimate of the Great Ocean Road Open.
By winning this preparatory occasion for the Australian Open, Sinner indicators his tenth victory in a row, straddling the two years.
On Monday he’ll problem the Canadian Denis Shapovalov, eleventh seed, in the first spherical of the Australian Open.
“I think we had a good preparation and obviously tomorrow we will start a new tournament, a new week and new sensations. It will be a tough game against Denis … It will be interesting,” stated Sinner.
In the ultimate of the Murray River Open, performed on Sunday, Briton Daniel Evans, 30, received the first title of his profession in opposition to younger Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, 20, swept 6-2, 6-3.
Evans, thirty third participant in the world, was enjoying his third ultimate after shedding the earlier two, at Syndey in 2017 and Delray Beach in 2019.
“I’ve played tennis well in the last three matches (…) I wanted to win a title, but (the final) was just a match like any other. That’s how I approached it”, Evans stated, quoted by ATP.
For Auger-Aliassime (N. 21), it’s a new disillusion. The Canadian is now at seven out of seven finals.
