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Barty trades racket for golf club but still a champion

FILE PHOTO: WTA Premier 5 - Qatar Open

SYDNEY (Reuters) - World number one Ash Barty may have decided to skip the U.S. and French Opens but the coronavirus pandemic has not prevented her from collecting trophies and as of Sunday she was women's champion at the Brookwater Golf Club.

The 24-year-old Australian, who famously played professional cricket during a year out from tennis, decided not to leave home for the U.S. Open or her title defence at Roland Garros because of the pandemic.

Still waiting for Queensland border controls to be relaxed so she can be reunited with her tennis coach and resume training properly, Barty traded racket for club at the weekend and headed out onto the picturesque Brookwater course outside Brisbane.

The result, according to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), was a 7&5 victory in the matchplay final at the club where her boyfriend Garry Kissick is a trainee professional.

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Kim Coghill)