After a tremendous week in Adelaide, the current World no.1, Ashleigh Barty has decided to withdraw from the Sydney Tennis Classic tournament. Instead, Barty will now focus on the Australian Open and she’s unlikely to play any other tournament before the Grand Slam. 

Speaking to the reporters, she said, “Unfortunately, I am withdrawing from the Sydney Tennis Classic to have some time to recover before the Australian Open. I’m sorry I won’t get the chance to play in front of the Sydney fans this year. I hope to see you all again soon.”

Ashleigh Barty had a week to remember in Adelaide

Ash Barty hasn’t had game-time since last year’s US Open and she only returned to the court last week in Adelaide. Safe to say, the return was an enormous success for her as she won two titles, both in singles and doubles. 

Barty beat Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-2 in the final to clinch the singles title. The top seed didn’t have an easy draw, as she had to face the likes of Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin, and Iga Swiatek to reach the final. 

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At the same time, she was also playing doubles with fellow Australian Storm Sanders in the same tournament. They beat the pair of Schreiber and Klepac in the finals by 6-1, 6-4 to win the doubles title as well.  

Barty was pretty happy with the week she had in Adelaide. “It’s been an extraordinary week. We’ve been able to play lots of matches in singles and doubles. We’ve had plenty of court time, which is great,” she said. 

Changes made to the Sydney Tennis Classic draw

On Monday, WTA announced some changes to the draw after Barty’s withdrawal. As a result, Barbora Krejcikova is now the third seed of the tournament and Belinda Bencic will now face someone else. 

Despite Barty’s absence, the tournament still has star power. Players like Garbine Muguruza, Sofia Kenin, Anett Kontaveit, Paula Badosa along with teenage sensation, Emma Raducanu are still part of the tournament. Surely, the fans of Sydney will enjoy some quality tennis on the court. 

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Meanwhile, after withdrawing from Sydney, Barty is now solely focused on the Grand Slam in Melbourne, scheduled on 17th January 2022. The 2-time Grand slam winner has yet to reach the final of the Australian Open – although she reached the semi-final in 2020. The form she has shown last week will surely give her a lot of confidence this time around, as she’s the best hope for Australia. 

Do you think Barty will win this year’s Australian Open?

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