Casey Dellacqua's beautiful act for beaten Australian Open finalist
The much-loved Australian produced a beautiful moment in the final.
Australian tennis favourite Casey Dellacqua has been praised for her act of kindness for the beaten Australian Open girl's finalist after a tough loss. Dellacqua was in attendance during the girl's final on Rod Laver Arena between friends Alina Korneeva and Mirra Andreeva.
In heartbreaking scenes, Andreeva broke down in tears when she returned to her bench after losing to close friend Korneeva 6-7, 6-4, 7-5. Korneeva had two match points on serve in the third set, but Andreeva was able to break to extend the epic match.
TOUGH: Aryna Sabalenka caught up in Aus Open furore after title win
'INSANE': Aussie duo win Australian Open title amid wild drama
However, Korneeva didn't let the pressure get to her as she broke back to win the thriller after more than three hours. In tough scenes, Andreeva returned to her bench and was in tears after losing the epic encounter.
In a classy act, Korneeva ran over and consoled her friend following the close battle. This sparked praise on social media with Aussie Daria Saville hailing the sportsmanship on show from the teenagers.
This prompted Dellacqua to approach Andreeva and offer some kind words after the epic girl's final. Dellacqua's classy act sums up her importance to Australian tennis.
Love this so much!!! Go girls!!! No one deserved to lose pic.twitter.com/CfM2g3AlBT
— Daria Saville (@Daria_gav) January 28, 2023
We didn’t have the same embrace hahahaha. But we are friends 12 years later anyway 🤪
— Daria Saville (@Daria_gav) January 28, 2023
Such a raw yet beautiful moment. Then @caseydellacqua offering some wise words after the match. So lovely 😊 to see!
— lisa (@pixiem24wicks) January 28, 2023
Marvelous scene, this is about being human!!!
— Wiliam da Cruz Leal (@WiliamCruz0310) January 28, 2023
Sad but lovely to see
— Karen Yesenia (@karenytv3) January 28, 2023
Ash Barty's classy act before Australian Open final
Later that day, Dellaqua watched her close friend Ash Barty make an appearance at the women's final where she symbolically handed over the trophy as the reigning champion before the match.
Barty was the reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open champion at the time of her retirement, but the Aussie stepped away from the sport and hasn't looked back. While Barty has denied any chance of making a return to tennis, she has made an appearance in Melbourne during the Australian Open.
And in a surprise move, Barty lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup at Melbourne Park on Saturday night and symbolically moved it to the next champion's podium. She received a raucous ovation from adoring fans at Rod Laver Arena.
Barty received a huge ovation in front of women's tennis pioneers Billie Jean King and her mentor Evonne Goolagong Cawley. She was widely praised by fans on social media, with her surprise appearance lighting up the tennis world.
with AAP
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.
