A round-by-round look at Ashleigh Barty's run to the Australian Open title

Here's a round-by round look at Ashleigh Barty's dominant run to the 2022 Australian Open title:

First Round: Barty def. Lesia Tsurenko, 6-0, 6-1

Barty kicked off her fortnight on Day 1, leading the night session on Rod Laver Arena. While Tsurenko was a qualifier this year, the Ukrainian took Barty to three sets at Melbourne Park in 2020, losing 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Barty was coming in off a title run in Adelaide and opted to skip Sydney to finalize her preparations in Melbourne. 

Would there be any nerves for the top seed, home favorite and night session opener? Not at all. In a 54-minute clinic, Barty ripped off 11 consecutive games before Tsurenko got on the board. 

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"I think I'm probably more relaxed before I walk out onto court, but once I do walk out there, it's, for me, always a little bit of a dry mouth and it's exciting to know that we are warming up to play the Australian Open," Barty said after the match. "You have to be able to enjoy these moments and certainly not take them for granted."

Second Round: Barty def. Lucia Bronzetti, 6-1, 6-1

If it were up to Barty, she would be playing under the hot Melbourne sun for every one of her matches. The Queenslander loves the heat and its positive effect on her game, allowing for more speed and bounce in her shots. As it turned out, the top seed would understandably dominate the night session marquee on Rod Laver Arena, but her one day-session outing came against Italian qualifier Bronzetti.

It was a quick stint under the sun. Barty played her cleanest match of the tournament. Barty won the first five games and the last six games of the match. She faced no break points and pocketed the win in 52 minutes, her shortest match of the fortnight. She also extended her consecutive hold streak to 49 games, where she went unbroken in five consecutive matches. 

"I'm not the biggest girl out there, but I know I've got a sound technique and I know if I can get my rhythm right and use it effectively, it can be a weapon," Barty said, when asked of her serving numbers. "I think Tyz and I put a lot of emphasis on my serve, I always have as a kid. I was always serving baskets and baskets of serves to try to create that weapon, try to create a really sound shot.

"I think I've just been able to find some good rhythm and a big part of that is protecting my second serve when I need to do as well. I thought I've done a pretty good job of that over the last half dozen matches or so."

Third Round: Barty def. [30] Camila Giorgi, 6-2. 6-3

After dropping just three games to two sub-100 players in her opening rounds, the tests for Barty began in the third round. She faced down her first seeded player by absorbing and out-serving the big-hitting Giorgi in 61 minutes. She went unbroken once again for the sixth consecutive match, extending her hold streak to 58 games. Giorgi was able to generate four break points, all coming in the seventh game of the first set, but Barty wiped them out from 0-40 down. 

The win set up a showdown between the two hottest players on tour at the time. Next in line was Melbourne 250 champion Amanda Anisimova, in the Round of 16. It was a match that before the tourney began,  many circled to be the first Barty vs. Naomi Osaka showdown since 2019. But Collins saved match points in a third-round thriller to oust the defending champion Osaka.

"It shows how often the draw pans out like you guys think, hey? I would have loved to have had the opportunity to play Naomi," Barty said. "I love to test myself against the very best.

"In the position we're in, Amanda has played a fantastic tournament. She deserves her spot in the Round of 16. I think the match we will play will be exciting. It will be good for both of us to get out there and test ourselves against each other."

Fourth Round: Barty def. Amanda Anisimova, 6-4, 6-3

In a rematch of the 2019 Roland Garros semifinal, which Barty came back to win 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 en route to her first major title, she handed Anisimova her first loss of the season. The American broke Barty's serve to end the hold streak at 63 games, but Barty was unrattled. She immediately broke back and quickly took control of the match from the baseline. She struck 23 winners, the most in any match of her tournament, to 17 unforced errors. 

"Honestly, I'm not counting how many games I hold in a row or not," Barty said. "The fact I was able to reset, break straight back, was really important, just to be able to reset myself, go again and continue to do the right things.

"In that game, Amanda saw a few second serves that she was able to punish, and she also had some really good returns off first serves. You tip your hat and you say too good to your opponent when they come up with returns from the baseline and move on pretty quickly and continue to try and do the right things."

Quarterfinals: Barty def. [21] Jessica Pegula, 6-2, 6-0

Into her fourth consecutive Australian Open quarterfinal, Barty needed just 63 minutes to book her spot in a second semifinal at Melbourne Park. Pegula earned her spot in a second Australian Open quarterfinal with an impressive straight-sets win against No.5 seed Maria Sakkari in the Round of 16. But Barty once again had the solutions. She rendered the American helpless from the baseline.

"I think when she gets into a rhythm," Pegula said, "she can kind of run away where her game just kind of picks you apart a little bit, and it can be really frustrating because you don't feel like you can get a lot of free points, there's really not much you can do.

"Yeah, it doesn't feel good. It feels kind of helpless. I didn't feel there was a lot I could do and then even games where I was up really easy I still didn't win the games. She just doesn't give you any free points."

Semifinals: Barty def. Madison Keys, 6-1, 6-3

Looking to become the first Australian woman to make the Australian Open final since 1980, Barty managed her tactical game perfectly to unwind a red-hot Keys in a dominant 62-minute performance. The American may have been unseeded, but Keys had found resurgent form in Australia, winning the Adelaide 250 and defeating No.11 seed Sofia Kenin, No.8 seed Paula Badosa and No.4 seed Barbora Krejcikova to advance to her first major semifinal since the 2018 US Open. 

When asked what it's like to play Barty right now, Keys could only laugh. "It sucks.

"Her slice is coming in so much lower and deeper than it was in the past so it's hard to do anything on that. Then you try to play to her forehand and she can open you up there. I think she's playing some really, really good tennis, but she's also, it just seems so locked in and focused. I mean, I have played her a handful of times, and this is easily the best I think she's ever been playing."

To defeat Keys, Barty would play one of her cleanest matches of the tournament. She fired 20 winners to just 13 unforced errors, while holding the big-hitting American to just eight winners for the night. 

Final: Barty def. [27] Danielle Collins, 6-3, 7-6(2)

Heading into her first Australian Open final and third major final overall, Barty was quick to dismiss the idea she had yet to be tested in the tournament. The lopsided scoreboards were precisely the result of her coming through tight moments in matches. She had faced down 14 break points and saved 13 of them. Barty had proven herself clutch all tournament. 

But the final would be her toughest test and that is a testament to Collins. The 28-year-old American was into her first major final after an incredible performance against Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. For all the pre-match discussion about how the players would handle the pressure and nerves of the occasion, the duo played nerveless tennis as they poked and prodded each other's games to find tactical openings. 

Barty saved a key break point early in the opening set to take it in 26 minutes. But Collins stormed back to build a 5-1 lead and was two points from the set three times. But the Aussie showed her mettle. She quickly adjusted and came back thanks to a combination of hitting bigger forehands and clutch serving. From 5-1 down, Barty methodically worked her way back and then played a perfect tiebreak to end Australia's 44-year-drought for an Australian Open singles champion.