Baseline Player of the Week: Ashleigh Barty

Every week Baseline will select a “Player of the Week.” That athlete may not always win the highest category tournament that week, but perform the best compared to their recent playing history.

Ashleigh Barty was as close as you could get to being a "tennis prodigy." In 2011, the Australian won junior Wimbledon at 15 and reached No. 2 in the junior rankings. She then played her way to three Grand Slam doubles finals in 2013.

But then she turned to professional cricket.

For 16 months, Barty left professional tennis altogether. But according to the *New York Times*, Barty had a change of heart when she visited Casey Dellacqua, her partner during all three of her major final appearances, during the cricket offseason.

Getting on the court with her former partner and simply talking made her realize something: tennis was where she belonged.

“It was more just talking about life in general, chatting about memories that we had, and you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face,” Barty told the New York Times. “I knew that this is where I’m meant to be.”

Just over a year since Barty decided to make her return to tennis, she is flying higher than ever. Last month at the Australian Open, she reached the third round for her career-best major showing. Last week, the 20-year-old won her first career singles WTA title in Kuala Lumpur, an accomplishment that has earned her a career-high ranking of No. 92 (her first foray into the Top 100).

An ace on triple match point clinched her 6-3, 6-2 victory over Nao Hibino in the championship match.

“It's a tribute to all the work we did in the offseason, and last year, coming back,” Barty said after winning the title. “It hasn't quite been 12 months since I started playing singles again. I'm certainly happy to be back."

The qualifier showed what helped her climb to such great heights at a young age in her win over Hibino. One of the points of her week was this defense-to-offense sequence in which she forced the finalist to give her a second look at a passing shot, which she executed beautifully with a forehand down-the-line:

Barty not only swept through the draw by losing just one set in her first-round match against Irina Falconi, but she also won the doubles title without losing a set. Fittingly enough, her partner was Dellacqua.

“You obviously have a different perspective on life when you’re 20 compared to when you’re 16,” Barty told the New York Times last year. “There are not a lot of people in the world that get to say they get to walk through the gates of Wimbledon and play on Centre Court. It’s pretty phenomenal, and we’re very lucky to live this life that we do.”

Based on her performance this week in Kuala Lumpur, it is safe to say that at some point, Barty will likely get a chance to play on the greatest stages of the sport once again.