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Swiatek leads Australian Open entry list

World No.1 Swiatek leads Australian Open entry list.

As per WTA, nineteen of the world’s Top 20 are entered, with the only exception being the provisionally suspended Simona Halep…reports Asian Lite News

World No.1 Iga Swiatek leads the entry list for next year’s Australian Open, which is based on the WTA rankings of the week beginning December 5.

Reigning Roland Garros and US Open champion Swiatek is one of 13 current or former Grand Slam winners who have entered the first major of 2023, which begins on January 16. The Pole, who reached her first Australian Open semifinal this year, will be bidding to add a fourth Grand Slam title to her haul so far.

Three former Australian Open champions are in the line-up — Victoria Azarenka (2012-13), Naomi Osaka (2019, 2021) and Sofia Kenin (2020) — as well as three former Australian Open runners-up, Petra Kvitova (2019), Garbie Muguruza (2020) and Danielle Collins (2022). This year’s champion, Ashleigh Barty, retired from professional tennis in March and will not defend her title.

Alongside Swiatek, Azarenka, Osaka, Kenin, Kvitova and Muguruza, the remaining roster of Grand Slam champions with direct entry comprises Jelena Ostapenko, Barbora Krejcikova, Elena Rybakina, Sloane Stephens, Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu. Additionally, seven-time major winner Venus Williams will compete as a wild card.

As per WTA, nineteen of the world’s Top 20 are entered, with the only exception being the provisionally suspended Simona Halep.

Kenin, currently ranked No.240 and on the comeback trail after an injury-struck season, is one of 11 players using a special ranking to enter the main draw. The others include two former Grand Slam finalists, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Marketa Vondrousova, as well as Karolina Muchova, Nadia Podoroska, Laura Siegemund, Jaqueline Cristian, Patricia Maria Tig, Evgeniya Rodina, Zheng Saisai and Kristina Kucova.

No.95-ranked Ysaline Bonaventure is the last player to be directly accepted into the main draw. In the event of withdrawals, the next five players in would be Harriet Dart, Kateryna Baindl, Dayana Yastremska, Alycia Parks and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

The qualifying entry list has also been released, based on the rankings of December 19, with the last initial direct acceptance being World No.219 Anastasia Gasanova.

Six players have used special rankings to enter the qualifying draw: Eugenie Bouchard, Zoe Hives, Katarina Zavatska, Barbara Haas, Kathinka Von Deichmann and Arina Rodionova. The top five alternates are Sophie Chang, Robin Montgomery, Rosa Vicens Mas, Katherine Sebov and Ekaterine Gorgodze.

Five out of eight wild cards have been officially announced. In addition to two-time runner-up Williams, No.110-ranked Diane Parry has received the French Tennis Federation’s reciprocal wild card.

The 20-year-old reached her career-high of No.58 in October after a rookie tour season that included a maiden WTA semifinal in Granby and an upset of defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round of Roland Garros.

Local hopes Storm Hunter, Olivia Gadecki and Talia Gibson have also received wild cards. No.241-ranked Hunter, 28, is also a Top 10 doubles player and was instrumental in Australia’s run to the Billie Jean King Cup final last month.

Gadecki, 20, has compiled a 37-18 pro record in 2022; while 18-year-old Gibson rose from No.1200 to No.364 over the course of this year.

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Iga leads Australian Open entry list

Australian Open 2022: World No 1 Swiatek leads entry list.

This year’s champion, Ashleigh Barty, retired from professional tennis in March and will not defend her title…reports Asian Lite News

World No.1 Iga Swiatek leads the entry list for next year’s Australian Open, which is based on the WTA rankings of the week beginning December 5.

Reigning Roland Garros and US Open champion Swiatek is one of 12 current or former Grand Slam winners who have entered the first major of 2023, which begins on January 16 in Melbourne. The Pole, who reached her first Australian Open semifinal this year, will be bidding to add a fourth Grand Slam title to her haul so far.

Three former Australian Open champions are in the line-up — Victoria Azarenka (2012-13), Naomi Osaka (2019, 2021) and Sofia Kenin (2020) — as well as three former Australian Open runners-up, Petra Kvitova (2019), Garbie Muguruza (2020) and Danielle Collins (2022).

This year’s champion, Ashleigh Barty, retired from professional tennis in March and will not defend her title.

Alongside Swiatek, Azarenka, Osaka, Kenin, Kvitova and Muguruza, the remaining roster of Grand Slam champions in the field comprises Jelena Ostapenko, Barbora Krejcikova, Elena Rybakina, Sloane Stephens, Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu.

As per WTA, nineteen of the world’s Top 20 are entered, with the only exception being the provisionally suspended Simona Halep.

Kenin, currently ranked No.240 and on the comeback trail after an injury-struck season, is one of 11 players using a special ranking to enter the main draw.

The others include two former Grand Slam finalists, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Marketa Vondrousova, as well as Karolina Muchova, Nadia Podoroska, Laura Siegemund, Jaqueline Cristian, Patricia Maria Tig, Evgeniya Rodina, Zheng Saisai and Kristina Kucova.

No.95-ranked Ysaline Bonaventure is the last player to be directly accepted into the main draw. In the event of withdrawals, the next five players in would be Harriet Dart, Kateryna Baindl, Dayana Yastremska, Alycia Parks and Margarita Betova (ne Gasparyan, using a special ranking).

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Australian Open: Barty ends 44-year wait for home Grand Slam champion

It is World No 1 Barty’s 15th title overall, fourth on home soil and second in a row following her Adelaide triumph in the first week of 2022…reports Asian Lite News

Adding another feather to her cap, world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty outplayed Danielle Collins in the final to win the 2022 Australian Open women’s singles title, ending her country’s 44-year wait for a home Grand Slam champion, here on Saturday.

Top seed Barty overturned a 5-1 deficit in the second set to defeat No. 27 seed Collins 6-3, 7-6(2) in the final, becoming the first home champion at the tournament since Chris O’Neil in 1978.

The title is Barty’s third Grand Slam crown, and second out of the last three, following Roland Garros 2019 and Wimbledon 2021. The 25-year-old becomes the second active player to claim major titles on all three surfaces, alongside 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

Barty is also the eighth WTA player in the Open Era to win Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Appropriately, the only other woman to capture her first three majors at each of those was fellow Indigenous Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who presented Barty with the trophy afterward.

It is World No 1 Barty’s 15th title overall, fourth on home soil and second in a row following her Adelaide triumph in the first week of 2022. She has won 12 of her past 14 finals dating back to Miami 2019, with her only losses coming to Naomi Osaka at Beijing 2019 and Aryna Sabalenka at Madrid 2020.

Barty, who is now on an 11-match winning streak, is the first player to win the Australian Open without dropping a set since Serena Williams in 2017.

“First and foremost, I have to say congratulations to Danielle and your team. I know you’ll be fighting for many more of these in the future,” said Barty.

“To my team, wow. I said numerous times I’m so lucky to have so many people here that love and support me. We started right together from the start in the second part of my career. I love you guys to death, you’re the absolute best in the business.

“As an Aussie, the most important part of the tournament is being able to share it with so many people. This crowd is one of the most fun I’ve ever played in front of. You brought so much joy, you relaxed me and forced me to play my best tennis. This is just a dream come true for me and I am so proud to be an Aussie,” she added.

In the first set, Barty won 15 out of 16 first-serve points and faced only one breakpoint at 2-2, which she saved with a clinical one-two punch. Collins’ return had been lethal against Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, but the American was only able to put 11 out of 30 back in play against Barty in the first set.

Having saved that break-point, Barty pounced immediately in the next game, bringing up her first of the match by powering away from a forehand winner, and converting it as Collins double-faulted for the first time, a wtatennis.com report said.

An undaunted Collins mounted a strong response in the second set. Barty opened the door with a series of forehand errors, and Collins landed an emphatic overhead — accompanied by a trademark fiery exhortation — to break for 2-1. Barty’s edgy play continued as she threw in a pair of double faults two games later, and a ferocious Collins return sealed the 5-1 double break lead.

With a third set seemingly inevitable, Barty loosened up again. Her tight forehand errors were replaced by a series of precise winners off that wing to gain one of the breaks back, and from that point, the comeback was on. Collins, serving for the set for the second time at 5-3, reached 30-0, only to be denied by another trio of Barty forehands.

If there was any doubt that Barty’s nerveless first-set form had returned, it was exemplified as she took control of the ensuing tiebreak. Cool-headed point construction with a drop shot-forehand-smash combination put her up 4-0, and five points later she sealed her first championship point with a precise forehand pass.

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