PARIS — Ash Barty decided to take a break from tennis in 2014 to play cricket. After almost two years away, the Australian returned to the tour, and that career choice paid off in a big way Saturday with her first Grand Slam title.
The No. 8-seeded Barty took control right at the start of the French Open final and never really let go, beating unseeded 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-3.
''I played the perfect match today,'' Barty said.
Pretty close to it, particularly at the start.
She raced to a 4-0 lead and, showing that she learned her lesson after blowing a 5-0 edge in the opening set of her quarterfinal, held on.