Australian Open 2022 Usually stoic, Ash Barty's outpouring of emotion illustrates what the win means to her, and Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia — When Ash Barty won her first-round Australian Open match against qualifier Lesia Tsurenko in just 54 minutes, she produced a wry smile, a little fist bump, and clapped to the crowd with a couple of taps on her racket.

It was business as usual for Barty, the world No. 1 for the third straight year at her home Grand Slam. She knew challenges lay ahead, because in 2020 she was beaten in the semifinals by eventual champion Sofia Kenin, while in 2021, it was a shock quarterfinals exit at the hands of 25th seed Karolina Muchova.

Barty, a champion on the clay at Roland Garros in 2019, and on the grass at Wimbledon in 2021, just couldn't seem to make the final leap on the blue hardcourts in Melbourne.

It's hardly a surprise. Tennis players are only human — Barty perhaps one of the most down to earth of all — and she had a weight on her shoulders that's hard to fathom.

A 44-year drought for a local singles champion at the Australian Open — in a proud, tennis-mad nation — is a big deal. Heading into this fortnight, Australians had won 102 Grand Slam singles titles overall — second only to the United States. Melbourne is often self-described as the «sporting capital of the world,» and that 44-year drought is a discussion which surfaces in Australia every year without fail.

But back to the tennis. After Barty's second-round match, it was the same — a smile, an acknowlegment of the crowd, and, you could clearly see, a focus on a greater goal. It was the same celebration for every match she played throughout the tournament. Even in her semifinal win over Madison Keys, she offered up a quiet fist pump, a wave to the crowd, and then it was back to business.

But Saturday night was different. Barty's championship