Ashleigh Barty had the best season of her career in 2019. The Australian won four WTA titles, including her first Grand Slam at the French Open. The win was the first time an Australian player won at the event since Margret Court in 1973. Barty has continued playing at a high level this season. The world No. 1 won the Adelaide International earlier this month and she is through to the semifinals of the Australian Open. Off the court, Barty has had a stable relationship with her boyfriend, Garry Kissick.
Garry is a trainee golf player
Ashleigh started dating Garry in 2016. The two met at the Brookwater Golf Club in Brisbane. Barty had gone to shoot some rounds of golf while her future boyfriend worked at the golf club. At the time, he worked as an irrigation technician. Garry still works at the club. The 28-year-old is also a PGA professional trainee and hopes to be a professional golf player after he completes the three-year training program.
The couple’s adorable nicknames for each other
After their first meeting, Garry and Barty went public with their relationship in January 2017. Barty attended an Australian Awards event with her boyfriend. They often post pictures of their time together on their Instagram accounts. Both of them have adorable nicknames for each other. The world number one calls him her “cheeky and caring handsome boy” while Garry affectionately refers to her as “baby.” The Australian media has described their relationship as normal, with sources revealing that Garry is supportive of his girlfriend. He occasionally assists her with her training, acting as the ball boy and sometimes as her hitting partner.
Barty’s stable personal life has enabled her to find success on the court. Last year she won the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, winning the largest sum of prize money ever offered at a tennis event. Ashleigh also finished the year as world number one. The world No. 1 is now the favorite to win the Australian Open after making it to the semifinals. Experienced players such as Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka have exited the tournament. She will face Sofia Kenin in the semifinal on Thursday. Barty has played against the American five times in her career, winning on four occasions. The one time Grand Slam winner will be the favorite to advance to the final and could win the match in straight sets. Kenin could, however, cause an upset after she defeated Coco Gauff in the fourth round before beating Tunisian Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinals.
Barty at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2020
Ranked world no.1, the Australian has a 9-1 win-loss record in 2020. The Australian is now playing at the Australian Open where she ousted Lesya Tsurenko 5-7 6-1 6-1, Polona Hercog 6-1 6-4, Elena Rybakina 6-3 6-2, Alison Riske 6-3 1-6 6-4 and Petra Kvitova 7-66 6-2.
Ashleigh Barty will square off with Kenin in the semifinal. The head to head is 4-1 for Barty.
The last time that they fought against each other, Barty won 6-3 7-5 in the 3rd round in Wuhan (Wuhan Open) in September 2019.
Barty clinched 1 title in 2020 in Adelaide.
Barty won 8 titles in her career: 4 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 2 on grass courts. (See the list of her titles)
