"Her service numbers are as good as Serena Williams' from the Australian Open 5 years ago" - Lindsay Davenport on Ashleigh Barty
Lindsay Davenport believes the main reason Ashleigh Barty has been so effective at the 2022 Australian Open is her serve. The Aussie has served 35 aces in the tournament and dropped her serve only once, against Amanada Anisimova. Davenport pointed out how the World No. 1's numbers aligned with those of Serena Williams during her 2017 title run at Melbourne Park.
Barty marched into the finals of the Melbourne Slam with a 62-minute decimation of Madison Keys in the semifinals. The 6-1, 6-3 victory on Thursday marked the Aussie's sixth consecutive straight-sets victory in the tournament.
Like Davenport, many pundits have attributed Barty's impeccable serve as the reason for her marauding run. But during an analysis of the World No. 1's most recent victory on Tennis Channel, the American backed up the theory with indisputable evidence.
She pointed out that Barty has won more than 80% of her service points in the tournament so far, very similar to Serena Williams' statistics from the event five years ago.
"Ashleigh Barty has won over 80% of her service points using her serve and forehand," Davenport said. "Martina [Navratilova] talked about how well she is playing, like Serena. Her service numbers are Serena [Williams]-esque from five years ago [at the] Australian Open, winning over 80% of her service points."
World No. 1 @ashbarty is the first Aussie woman to reach the final here since 1980. 🤩
Stream live → tnns.ch/app
#TCLive #AusOpen https://t.co/uqZUowXqlX
Davenport continued to lavish praise on Barty for playing to her strengths and forcing her opponents to adapt to her game. The 45-year-old further hailed the Aussie as a "puzzle" nobody has been able to solve so far.
"If you look at her tennis, Barty has been playing to her patterns the whole tournament. That is what an opponent has to try and get her out of, and nobody has been able to do that yet," Davenport said. "Nobody can really solve that riddle [of how to beat Barty]. When a player that good is able to play with such ease, look out. Ashleigh has just looked sensational [so far]."
The only player left with a shot at figuring out the "Barty" puzzle at the Melbourne Major is Danielle Collins. The 27th seed demolished Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals to set up her fourth meeting with the two-time Grand Slam champion in the final on Saturday.
Ashleigh Barty has lost just 21 games en route to the final of the 2022 Australian Open
Ashleigh Barty's 2022 Australian Open run has seen her produce some staggering numbers. Probably the most impressive among them is the loss of just 21 games en route to the finals.
21 - Ashleigh #Barty has dropped 21 games to reach the final at the #AO2022: in 2000s, only Serena Williams (16 at the US Open 2013 and 19 at Flushing Meadows 2012) and Venus Williams (20 at Wimbledon 2009) have lost fewest games to reach a Grand Slam final. Strong.
Since the turn of the new millennium, only two women have lost fewer games after the first six rounds of a Major - Serena and Venus Williams. Serena has done it twice, losing just 16 games on her way to the 2013 US Open final and 19 prior to the 2012 final in New York. Both tournaments were eventually won by the former World No. 1.
Venus managed to reach the 2009 Wimbledon final with the loss of only 20 games. Unfortunately, the seven-time Grand Slam champion fell at the final hurdle to sister Serena.