World No.1 Ash Barty has sent her rivals an ominous warning as she chases her maiden Australian Open title, clinching victory in the Adelaide International final.
The Australian was superb in her match against Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina en route to a 6-3, 6-2 win.
Barty cruised through the match in 64 minutes to win her 14th WTA title.
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The two-time singles grand slam champion was challenged over the first six games but broke free in a critical hold of serve at 3-3.
Barty fought back from 15-40 down to string together seven games in succession.
“It’s been a challenging 18 months, two years for all of us and it’s so nice to be here to enjoy a fantastic week,” Barty said on Nine’s Wide World of Sports coverage.
“I know you’ve all got more tennis coming next week, as well.
“You guys as fans have made this week exceptional for me.
“You’ve made it so much fun and you’ve brought that spark back into my tennis.
“Thank you so much for that. I really do appreciate it.”
Barty has won 17 of her last 18 matches against top-20 players, while she’s also won 21 of her last 24 outings in Australia.
It’s Barty’s second Adelaide International title in the last three years.
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