Ashleigh Barty will bid to become the first home Australian Open singles champion for 44 years when she takes on Danielle Collins in Saturday's final.

Christine O'Neil was the last Australian of either gender to win the singles tournament in 1978.

World number one Barty has been in ominous form, having not dropped a set on her way to the final.

American Collins is competing in her first Grand Slam final less than a year after having surgery for endometriosis.

Barty won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open and went on to win Wimbledon last year.

She has lost just 21 games on her way to the Melbourne Park final and enters it on a 10-match unbeaten streak.

Barty leads the head-to-head 3-1 over Collins, but Collins won their last meeting in Adelaide in 2021.

Crowd capacity has been increased to 80% for the final after the Victorian government accepted a request by Tennis Australia.

Source: BBC

BDST: 1345 HRS, JAN 29, 2022
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