Australia has a new grand slam singles champion, with Queenslander Ashleigh Barty winning the French Open final in emphatic fashion, 6-1, 6-3, against Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova.
Barty showed no signs of nerves in her first major singles final, demonstrating her varied skill set from the very start and icing the first set in just 30 minutes.
The 19-year-old Czech Republic player, meanwhile, took time to settle, failing to hold serve until the third game of the second set.
While Vondrousova was more competitive in the second set, pressing Barty to tougher rallies and longer games, she was unable to turn the tide, with the Australian maintaining her composure to close out the match.
She becomes the first Australian to win a grand slam singles title since Samantha Stosur won the US Open in 2011.
Barty will rise to number two in the world rankings following her triumph at Roland Garros. Not since 1976 has an Australian woman reached such a high mark, when Evonne Goolagong Cawley was ranked second in the world.
More to come.
