Barty ends 44 years of hurt by winning Australian Open title

Ashleigh Barty made history on Saturday by becoming the first Australian woman to win the year's first Grand Slam in 44 years.

The world No 1 ended decades of hurt with a memorable victory, recovering from 5-1 down in the second set to clinch a 6-3 7-6 (7-2) victory over first-time major finalist Danielle Collins and claim her third Grand Slam title.

Victory for Barty saw her become the first homegrown player to lift the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup since Chris O'Neil in 1978 as well as becoming the only active player other than Serena Williams to have won major titles on three different surfaces.

Barty now just needs the US Open to complete a career Grand Slam having won the French Open in 2019 and Wimbledon last summer.

Fittingly, she received the trophy from her mentor, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who won the title four times in the 1970s.

Barty said: "First and foremost I have to say congratulations to Danielle and your team. I know you'll be fighting for many more of these in the future.

"To my team, wow. I said numerous times I'm so lucky to have so many people here that love and support me. We started right together from the start in the second part of my career. I love you guys to death, you're the absolute best in the business.

"As an Aussie, the most important part of the tournament is being able to share it with so many people. This crowd is one of the most fun I've ever played in front of.

"You brought so much joy, you relaxed me and forced me to play my best tennis. This is just a dream come true for me and I am so proud to be an Aussie."

This was a huge occasion for Australian sport and among the crowd were two people who could put themselves in Barty's shoes - Sydney Olympic heroes Cathy Freeman and Ian