Barty wins first title of 2022, beats Rybakina in Adelaide – then picks up doubles trophy with Sanders

World No 1 Ash Barty was in ominous form as she won her first title of the year, beating Elena Rybakina 6-3, 6-2 to win the Adelaide International.

It’s a title she also won back in 2020, when she ended her wait for a trophy in her home country.

Her campaign in Adelaide has been nothing short of impressive, with world No 22 Coco Gauff the lowest-ranked player she has beaten this week. It underlines her strong track record against the best players in the world – which now stands at 17 wins and one loss against the Top 20 in the past 12 months.

“I probably felt like overall this week my serve has been a real weapon,” she said afterwards. “I felt like I struggled with rhythm early on in the week and I’ve been able to progressively get better and better. To go a few matches unbroken is really good.

“I think all in all I was able to squeeze myself out of some tough moments. I was able to start games well and get ahead in games, which is sometimes important just to feel like you’re always in front of the eight ball and kind of moving in the right direction.

“All in all this week I felt like I was able to look after my service games well, which then allowed freedom for the rest of my game.”

And Barty proved her point by heading straight back out on to court and winning the doubles title with compatriot Storm Sanders, defeating third seeds Darija Jurak and Andreja Klepac 6-1, 6-4.

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