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Ashleigh Barty trades tennis racket for golf club to win local championship

Ashleigh Barty, who famously played in the Women's Big Bash League, decided not to leave home for the US Open or her title defence at the French Open because of the pandemic.

Australia's Ashleigh Barty (REUTERS/File Photo)

Ashleigh Barty, who is the top-ranked WTA player in the world, will not defend her title at the French Open this month but that hasn’t stopped the tennis star from winning silverware.

The Australian tried her hands on golf, something that she is familiar with, and went on to win the women’s championship at the Brookwater Golf Club near Brisbane.

The 24-year-old clinched the title with a 7&5 victory in the matchplay final at the club where her boyfriend Garry Kissick is a trainee professional.

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Brookwater Club Champions 🏆🏌🏽‍♀️ ft. Bucket Hats

A post shared by Ash Barty (@ashbarty) on Sep 20, 2020 at 1:22am PDT

This is not the first time Barty has been seen playing other sport than tennis. She also featured for Brisbane Heat in the inaugural season of the Women’s Big Bash League.

Earlier this month, Barty declined from participating in the French Open, citing health concerns and a lack of preparation. The world number one has not played in any tour since February and also skipped the ongoing US Open.

Barty lives in Queensland, which has been relatively successful in containing the new coronavirus and has closed its borders to the more populous south-eastern states where there are more cases.