Ashleigh Barty's Australian Open final triumph garners huge ratings Down Under

Ashleigh Barty's victory at the Australian Open drew huge TV viewership in Australia, becoming the most-watched women's final since the start of current ratings and one of the top annual broadcasts in the country.

Barty defeated Danielle Collins, 6-3, 7-6 (2), to secure the nation's first Australian Open singles title since 1978. The championship clash drew an average audience of 3.6 million with a peak of 4.3 million, according to OzTAM, and a record 241,000 watching online. The figures were highest than any Australian viewership in 2021 except for the AFL final, the country's largest sporting event.

The was also an average of 3.9 million for the trophy ceremony.

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Barty is now a US Open title away from owning a career Grand Slam.

It was also the fourth-highest for a tennis match since records began, which includes the 2005 men's final between Marat Safin and another Aussie, Lleyton Hewitt, which drew 5.7 million, and the 2017 men's final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

The men's final between Nadal and Daniil Medvedev had an average of 2.1 million tuning in as Nadal came from two sets down to break the men's Grand Slam record.

The all-Australian men's doubles final set a national record for a doubles match, with the Nick Kyrgios-Thanasi Kokkinakis victory receiving an average viewership of 2.3 million and a peak of 3.2 million.

The network Channel Nine is the national broadcaster of the Australian Open.