Ashleigh Barty is the inaugural Adelaide International champion after a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Dayana Yastremska in the championship match. The top seed, who will remain world number one through the upcoming Australian Open, captured her eighth career title and first in her native Australia.
For the 19-year old, this marks the first defeat in a final at the WTA level as she had won her previous three title matches. Yastremska will rise to a career-high 21st when the new WTA rankings are released on Monday.
Brilliant Barty claims title with textbook performance over rising Yastremska
In this high-stakes final, both players held to love to begin before Barty raised her level of play, putting away an overhead to set up triple break point and she gained the advantage after Yastremska missed an easy swinging volley.
The Ukrainian saved a break point in her next service game to stay within touch at 3-2. She wasn't as fortunate in her next service game as the Barty slice was confounding the teenager and she was errant with a forehand to give the world number one a 5-2 edge.
The momentum carried over from the first set, which Barty served out to love, by breaking in the opening game of the second set after Yastremska missed a backhand. The Aussie held to extend her advantage to 2-0 and was seemingly in command.
Out of nowhere, Yastremska broke back in the fourth game after Barty sent a forehand long. A subsequent hold had the Ukrainian in front for the first time in the match at 3-2. The set ebbed along until the eighth game as Yastremska held a break point.
Barty threw in some big serving and an overhead to eventually hold for 4-4. The Ukrainian would answer with a hold of her own to move within a game of the set. A crunch moment came at 5-4 deuce as the world number one fired an ace to bring up game point, which she converted.
Disaster struck for Yastremska as she faced triple break point and after skittering a backhand wide, she was broken, giving Barty a 6-5 lead. The Aussie served for the title and closed out the match after the Ukrainian sent one final backhand long.