Australian Open 2022 - Ashleigh Barty looks to become first Australian player to win home tournament in 44 years

Ashleigh Barty walked to the microphone on the court at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday at the Australian Open with the slightest hint of emotion on her face. But when Jim Courier, the on-court interviewer, announced just exactly what she had done, she couldn't help but smile.

She had just beaten Madison Keys, 6-1, 6-3, in just over an hour and advanced to her first final at the Australian Open. But this was about much more than her, and she knew it. The fans did, too.

It has been 44 years since an Australian won the title at the Australian Open, and with each passing year, the pressure feels more pronounced, the expectations on those atop the game even greater. As the No. 1 player in the world since the 2019 season and a major champion at Wimbledon and the French Open, Barty has long been seen as the country's best hope to reverse course.

And now she will finally have her chance. In front of the adoring eyes of her nation and around the world, Barty will face Danielle Collins on Saturday with a chance to make history, for herself and for all of Australia. Barty, a student of the game, knows exactly what it would mean. She always has.

«I do [know],» Barty, 25, said ahead of the tournament. «I can't do any more than I can try. That's all I can do. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.

»I just have to hope that everyone understands that I'm giving it my best crack. It doesn't always work out exactly how you want to. But you go about it the right way, you do the right things and try and give yourself the best chance, that's all you can do."

While Australians have had success abroad over the past five decades, it's been a dramatically different story on home soil. Sam Stosur, Lleyton Hewitt, Patrick Rafter and Pat Cash have