Match of the Day: Ashleigh Barty vs. Dayana Yastremska, Adelaide final

Dayana Yastremska has long been a name to watch out for, but it appears 2020 will be her official coming out party. The 19-year-old cruised to her first WTA Premier final this week in Adelaide without dropping a set. A title this week would be a nice bonus, but Yastremska and new coach Sascha Bajin have much loftier goals on the horizon.

“We’re definitely not just showing up to make the quarters or something,” Bajin told Tennis.com. “I’ve never had that mindset with any of my players and I’m not going to start now.”

Yastremska is ready, and is a sneaky dark horse pick to win the Australian Open. According to her trending UTR, she rates as the seventh best player in the world.

Her opponent, world No.1 Ashleigh Barty, is also seeking a first this weekend: a title on home soil. Barty has taken a more scenic route to the final, defeating both Danielle Collins and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three tight sets.

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Barty carved her way to a 6-4, 6-1 win over Yastremksa last year in Miami, frustrating the Ukrainian by chipping slices out of her comfort-zone. She will surely look to do so again, but something has to give, as Yastremska has never lost a final in her career (3-0).

Yastremska has arguably shown better form—and clearly made the most of her off-season training—but Barty’s variety and shotmaking are enough to drive any player crazy. In the end, expect the home favorite to ride her overwhelming crowd support and finally raise a WTA trophy in Australia.