IT might have been a touch predictable, but the top champions across the country predominantly won their respective WTA and ATP Tour titles. In Adelaide, the home court favourite and world number one Ash Barty saluted with a straight sets win over seventh seed Elena Rybakina. The win marked her 17th win from her last 18 matches against Top 20 opponents, having stormed to the title after going a set and a break down against Coco Gauff in the second round.

The men’s top seed in Adelaide Gael Monfils also received plenty of support for his straight sets win over Russian second seed Karen Khachanov. Always an entertaining showman, Monfils has struggled with injuries over the past few years, but stood up throughout the tournament to lift the trophy aloft. It is hoped the Frenchman – who won his 11th ATP Tour title with the win, can build up to the Australian Open, now ranked 21st in the world.

Over in Melbourne, another star returned from injury with Rafael Nadal storming to victory in a tight one over American qualifier, Maxime Cressy. The Spanish star won 7-6 6-3 in his return from injury, able to ease himself back into the Tour as the clear standout at the event. Now ranked sixth in world, Nadal collected his casual 89th ATP Tour title and ensured he has won at least one ATP Tour title every year since 2004.

In the two WTA Tour events, second seed Simona Halep cruised past third seed Veronika Kudermetova to ensure she had the best lead-up to the Australian Open. With top seed Naomi Osaka withdrawing prior to the semi-final with Kudermetova, Halep was able to come in match hardened and proved too good for the Russian, winning 6-2 6-3.

In the other Melbourne Summer Set, it was great to see world number 78 Amanda Anisimova back on the winners list with her second title, defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich in three sets, 7-5 2-6 6-4 in two hours and nine minutes. One of the potential rising stars of the Tour, Anisimova has had a tough few years following the tragic passing of her father in 2019, and then struggling through the pandemic. This could propel the American to bigger and better things.

ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

WTA 500:

[1] Ash Barty (AUS) defeated [7] Elena Rybakina (KAZ) 6-3 6-2

“We’ve obviously had a brilliant week, been able to work progressively through each match,” Barty said post-match. “I got better and better. I felt like today there were really a few key moments early in the first set to gain momentum. I was really happy to be able to get a couple of early breaks in the second and run away with it.”

ATP 250:

[1] Gael Monfils (FRA) defeated [2] Karen Khachanov (RUS) 6-4 6-4

“I want to say thanks to my team,” Monfils said post-match. “We have had some tough moments, we lost a little bit of faith but we came back strong from July last year. It is amazing to play in front of you guys, to play in front of a full crowd with a good spirit and atmosphere, this is amazing.”

MELBOURNE SUMMER SET

WTA 250 (1):

[2] Simona Halep (ROU) defeated [3] Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) 6-2 6-3

“The body is great, I feel good,” Halep said post-match. “I had a tough five matches, and my body is good. I don’t feel that tired. Physically I’m in the right place. Confidence is growing. I feel confident. I feel that I have the game to win matches. “I’m not that scared when I lose serve because I lose often the serve, but I am confident in my return. I’m not getting scared there. I didn’t even think that I lost the serve, I just focused on the return. I just focused on every game I played. I was very positive.”

WTA 250 (2):

[7] Amanda Anisimova (USA) defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 7-5 1-6 6-4

“To start off the year playing my first tournament with a title, it’s a really amazing feeling,” Anisimova said post-match. “I think [Sasnovich] was playing extremely well today, so it was a very difficult match, and I just had to grit my teeth into this one, just fight for every single point.”

ATP 250:

[1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) defeated [Q] Maxime Cressy (USA) 7-6 6-3

“I want to thank all the organisation here,” Nadal said during the trophy ceremony,” Nadal said post-match. “I feel privileged and a very lucky guy to be here again. I am coming back from some challenging moments in terms of injuries, so I can’t be happier. It means a lot to be back and with a trophy in my hands.”