The tennis world pays tribute to No. 1 Ash Barty’s surprise retirement at age 25

She’s leaving the sport at the top of her game.

Ash Barty was the No. 1 ranked women’s tennis player in the world and a three-time Grand Slam singles winner, including the Australian Open title from a couple of months ago.

Now? She’s retiring at 25 years old.

The superstar announced in a video interview with ex-doubles partner Casey Dellacqua that she was leaving, saying out loud for the first time that she was retired.

Per ESPN, she joins Justine Henin as the only other WTA No. 1 to retire at the top of the rankings.

The tennis world paid tribute to Barty with the news breaking late on Tuesday night, with so many tweets from current and former pros:

 

Odds, lines and how to bet the Australian Open women’s final between Ashleigh Barty and Danielle Collins

The Australian Open women’s final is set. Should you take the favorite Barty, or bet on the underdog in Collins?

World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty will have a chance to win a third career grand slam in front of a home crowd when she faces American Danielle Collins in the Australian Open final. 

Barty reached the title round with a win over Madison Keys, while the 27th-seeded Collins (ranked 30th) upset No. 7 Iga Swiatek to get there.

It’s the first career grand slam final for Collins, who will enter the match as a massive underdog. The odds on her moneyline are +350 versus -520 for Barty on Tipico Sportsbook, and the odds on either to win a set are +240 for Collins and -350 for Barty.

However long the odds are, there is reason to believe Collins could give Barty a match.

Though Barty won three of the previous four head-to-head meetings between the two, Collins won three of the last five sets they’ve played since 2020, including a straight-set match win in their last meeting in 2021. Only one of their four matches resulted in a straight-set loss for Collins.

Of course, the way Barty is playing going into the final would suggest a bet against her to win is unwise. She hasn’t dropped a single set this tournament, losing more than three games just once out of the 12 sets she’s won. Collins has dropped two sets this tournament and had another go to seven games in the quarters. But she’s also riding high going into the final after winning 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals.

Collins had only reached the semis of a grand slam once prior to this tournament, at the 2019 Australian Open. To finally breakthrough for her first final and have to face the top-ranked player in the world who has home-court advantage is a tough draw. A win is unlikely, but the odds are favorable enough to put a little something on Collins to at least take a set. That also puts the over on 20.5 games in play at -107 odds. Odds on the under are -118.

The Australian Open women’s final is scheduled for 3:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.

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Serena Williams vs. Naomi Osaka, Australian Open live stream, Women’s Semifinals, start time, how to watch

Serena Williams will meet Naomi Osaka in the Semifinals of the Australian Open on Wednesday, stream it all here live.

The Semifinals of the Australian Open will begin on Wednesday night and we have some great matches to look forward to.

Serena Williams will face Naomi Osaka in the first semifinal match that is set to get underway around 9 p.m. ET then we’ll have Karolina Muchova facing Jennifer Brady around 11:15 p.m. ET.

Here is everything you need to know to catch all the action this evening and for the rest of the tournament.

Serena Williams vs Naomi Osaka

  • When: Wednesday, February 17
  • Live Coverage: 9:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ESPN2
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

2021 Australian Odds and Betting Lines

Australian Open odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. 

Want some action on the Australian Open? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV at BetMGM

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2021 Australian Open live stream, Quarterfinals live coverage, start time, featured matches, how to watch

The Quarterfinals of the Australian Open will resume on Tuesday evening from Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia.

The Quarterfinals of the Australian Open will resume on Tuesday night and we have some great matches to look forward to.

We’ll see the No. 1 ranked women’s tennis player in the world, Ashleigh Barty this evening along with two American women, Jennifer Brady and Jessica Pegula taking the court.

On the Men’s side, we’ll see Andrey Rublev facing Daniil Medvedev as well as a late morning match with Rafa Nadal and Stefano Tsitsipas at 3:30 a.m. ET.

Here is everything you need to know to catch all the action this evening and for the rest of the tournament.

Australian Open, Quarterfinals

  • When: Tuesday, February 16
  • Live Coverage: 9:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ESPNEWS, ESPN2
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

Tuesday, Quarterfinal Matches

Women’s Singles

  • Ashleigh Barty and Karolina Muchova, 7 p.m. ET
  • Jennifer Brady vs. Jessica Pegula, 9 p.m. ET

Men’s Singles

  • Andrey Rublev vs. Daniil Medvedev, 11 p.m. ET
  • Rafa Nadal vs. Stefano Tsitsipas, 3:30 am ET

2021 Australian Odds and Betting Lines

Australian Open odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. 

Want some action on the Australian Open? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV at BetMGM

We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

2021 Australian Open live stream, Round 2 live coverage, start time, featured matches, how to watch

The second round of the Australian Open will resume on Wednesday evening from Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia.

The second round of the Australian Open will resume on Wednesday evening from Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. With both Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty taking the court tonight this should be a good night for tennis fans.

Here is everything you need to know to catch all the action this evening and for the rest of the tournament.

Australian Open, Second Round

  • When: Wednesday, February 10
  • Live Coverage: 7:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: Tennis Channel
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

Wednesday, Round 2 Matches

  • Feliciano López vs. Lorenzo Sonego, 7 p.m. ET

2021 Australian Odds and Betting Lines

Australian Open odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. 

Want some action on the Australian Open? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV at BetMGM

We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Top tennis player Ashleigh Barty wins golf club championship in Australia

Australian Ashleigh Barty is the world no. 1 in tennis, a former cricket pro, and now, women’s champion at Brookwater Golf Club.

As Bryson DeChambeau claimed the mantle of U.S. Open champion for the first time on Sunday, another golfer might be on the rise in her own way.

Ashleigh Barty, at just 24 years of age, is the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the world in singles and is a former professional cricketer. She is also the women’s champion at Australia’s Brookwater Golf Club.

Barty clinched the title with a dominant 7-and-5 victory in the match-play final. The world no. 1 tennis star was in command throughout the tournament, qualifying as the top seed for the match play portion of the championship. She also won her semifinal match on the par-72 course with five holes to spare.

“It’s not a big deal,” Barty said humbly in an interview with the Australian Associated Press.

Big deal or not, Tiger Woods is impressed.

“She’s got a great swing, are you kidding me?” said the future Hall of Famer, who has 110 professional wins to his name. Barty’s skills first captured Woods’ attention in Melbourne before last year’s Presidents Cup.

Although most know her for her tennis achievements, golf has always been part of Barty’s life. Her father, Robert, once played for Australia at the amateur level. Her boyfriend, Garry Kissick, is a PGA trainee professional. Kissick, along with former Australian tennis star Pat Rafter, helped Barty cut her handicap down from 10 to four during the last few months.

Tennis will no doubt remain the focus of Barty’s athletic life going forward, although the Aussie phenom will not be defending her French Open title this year. Men’s club champion Louis Dobblelaar, however, is confident that Barty could make waves as a professional golfer as well.

“She’s got all the tools if she wants to pursue it. If she put her mind to it, I’m sure she could,” Dobblelaar, a two-time Queensland amateur champion, told the AAP. “I’ve seen quite a lot of golfers come from different sports and she’s the one that stands out the most – by far actually.

“Her ball-striking’s really good. She just gets that naturally from tennis, the hand-eye stuff.”