Ashleigh Barty has rapidly risen up the rankings since returning without a world ranking, and will be World No. 2 today
French Open champion Ashleigh Barty of Australia poses with the Suzanne Lenglen Trophy a day after beating Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova in the women's singles final at Roland Garros. Pic/AFP
Ashleigh Barty said that she "certainly" did not think the French Open would be her first Grand Slam title, but with the Roland Garros crown sealed, she will head into the next few majors as one of the favourites and targeting her "next goal" of becoming the World No. 1. The Australian, the first player from her country to win in Paris since Margaret Court in 1973, took a break from tennis in 2014 to play professional cricket. Barty has rapidly risen up the rankings since returning without a world ranking, and will be World No. 2 today.
Dominant win
Her dominant 6-1, 6-3 final victory on Saturday over Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova will certainly have her earmarked as a player who can consistently compete on the biggest stage. "It's just been an amazing journey that we've had over the last few years I just tried to tell myself on the court that I may never get this opportunity again, so enjoy it, try and grab it with both hands and go out there and smile. It's new territory for me going deep into Slams, that was the goal. One of our goals is to continue to do that," Barty, 23, said.
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Top spot beckons
Now the No. 1 ranking is well within her reach, with Naomi Osaka only holding a narrow lead at the summit, and Barty has the Japanese star in her sights. "Obviously, that's the next point, the next goal, the next situation I can see myself in. Being No. 2 in the world is incredible and something I never dreamt of as a child and we'll keep chipping away and try our best to get to number one," added Barty, who played for the franchise outfit Brisbane Heat cricket team in the Women's Big Bash League four years ago. She played nine matches and had a top score of 39.
Trophy glitch: Another Aussie named winner
Ashleigh Barty became the first Australian woman to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Trophy since Margaret Court in 1973 when she beat Czech Republic's Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova on Saturday. However, as per the list of winners engraved on the trophy, there seems to be another Australian named Sue Barker, who won the title in 1976. This however, is an error on the part of the organisers since Barker, currently a sports presenter with the BBC, is British. French Open organisers told international news organisation Reuters yesterday that the error would be corrected.
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