World number one and top seed Ash Barty claimed her second Adelaide International title in the past three years on Sunday after dominating Elena Rybakina in the women's singles final.
The world No.1 cruised to a 6-3 6-2 win over No.7 seed Rybakina in just 64 minutes. This is only the third time in Ashleigh Barty's career that she has become the champion on her home soil.
The pair were evenly matched over the first six games, but the match quickly turned on the back of a crucial hold of serve by Barty at 3-3. After digging out of 15-40, Barty ran off seven straight games and wrapped up her 14th WTA singles title.
"It's never easy starting the season off the back of a tough pre-season, but it was really fun to play out here with you today and I wish you the best of luck for the rest of the year," Barty said to Rybakina during the trophy presentation, before addressing the crowd.
"You guys have made this week exceptional for me. You've made it so much fun, and you've brought that spark back into my tennis, and I thank you so much for that. I really do appreciate it," she added.
After a second-round victory against Coco Gauff, where she came from a set and a break down to win, Barty never lost serve again in the tournament--a streak of 35 consecutive games.
( With inputs from ANI )
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