PERTH, Australia — Australian Ash Barty continued her season-long extraordinary form to beat France’s Caroline Garcia 6-0, 6-0 and level the Fed Cup final at 1-1 on Saturday.
The world No.1-ranked Barty beat Garcia in just 56 minutes on an outdoor hard court at Perth Arena to get Australia back on track after Kristina Mladenovic had beaten Ajla Tomljanovic, who was making her Fed Cup debut, 6-1, 6-1 to give France the early lead.
Barty, who won her first singles major at the French Open this year, extended her Fed Cup winning streak to 15 matches, a run that began in February 2017.
“I think that’s probably the best tennis match I’ve ever played in my life,” Barty said. “I could not have asked for a more perfect match.”
Fresh off her record $4.42 million triumph at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen,China, last weekend, Barty overwhelmed world No. 45 Garcia with potent serving and pinpoint shot-making. She finished with 15 winners and eight aces.
Garcia struggled in the sweltering conditions with the temperature hitting near 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on the opening day. She hit just three winners in her error-strewn performance.
Australia’s hopes of ending a 45-year Fed Cup drought started poorly when Mladenovic beat Tomljanovic in 72 minutes.
No.51 Tomljanovic was chosen over former US Open champion Samantha Stosur as Australia’s second singles player behind Barty.
The 26-year-old, Croatia-born Tomljanovic received clearance from the International Tennis Federation to represent her adopted country only last month.
She was broken six times and recorded just two winners for the match.
“It’s a tough task for Ajla playing straightaway in the final,” Mladenovic said. “I almost played a perfect match. I was really in the zone.”
Tomljanovic admitted she struggled with nerves. “I wish I could have done better in the circumstances. It didn’t go as planned,” she said. “It’s really unique. You’re not playing for yourself, you’re playing for your country and teammates.”
Tomljanovic hit the scoreboard only in the fourth game when Mladenovic struggled on serve and double-faulted twice.
Mladenovic, who was part of France’s team in the 2016 decider to the Czech Republic, regrouped and relentlessly hit the lines to power through a one-sided, 38-minute first set.
The Australian finally held serve on her seventh attempt, but it only slightly delayed Mladenovic’s inevitable victory.
Australia hasn’t won since 1974, when Evonne Goolagong, Dianne Fromholtz and Janet Young defeated the United States 2-1 in Italy.
France previously won the Fed Cup in 2003 and most recently made the final in 2016.
The reverse singles will be played Sunday followed by a potential deciding doubles match.