How Danielle Collins can upset the odds against Australian Open final favourite Ashleigh Barty

Ashleigh Barty is the overwhelming favourite but how can Danielle Collins try to upset the Aussie party in Melbourne?

Contrasting temperaments

It is difficult to imagine two players who conduct themselves more differently on court. Barty is a cool customer, and has been calmness personified this tournament as she eased past opponents.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Alize Cornet described Collins as "like a lion", adding, "she's next-level intense". During her semi-final against Iga Swiatek, that was on full show. Collins's steely glare was enough to unnerve everyone watching, let alone Swiatek, and her focus did not even allow her to sit down. She remained standing during changeovers, even awaiting Swiatek's return from a toilet break between sets by stalking the baseline.

She dictated a feverish pace throughout, as if she had some other place to be after the match, and though she is unlikely to intimidate Barty in the same way she did Swiatek, controlling the tempo could be the key to making her uncomfortable.

So far, that has been impossible. Instead Barty has found a way of making everyone who plays her look frazzled, frustrated and a shadow of the player they were in the previous round.

Disarming Barty's strengths

Collins has beaten Barty once in their four previous meetings, but Barty was not playing at this level then. She has completely disarmed every player she has faced so far this year, and Collins must find a way to deal with her variety, including that smooth backhand slice which she deploys to perfection.

On Thursday, Collins said she would be drawing inspiration from a surprising place - the public courts in her home in Florida, where she honed her craft as a youngster: "I played against a lot of people in the park [when I was a kid] that liked the slice backhand. In my offseason, I was playing at the public park close to my house most days, hitting on the ball machine - that can throw some different variety at me too. I'm going to have to think about that a lot when I'm on court with Ash."

Another problem to solve will be Barty's serve though, which has become unplayable at times in Melbourne through her supreme placement rather than pace. Using her serve to craft points that she is most likely to win is an art Barty has perfected, even on her reliable second serve, and she has been broken just twice all tournament. It will challenge Collins's aggressive returning, which saw her win the majority of points on her opponents' second serve in all but one of the last seven sets she has played.

Most crucially, Collins needs to take a clear game plan into the match (as she did against Swiatek) to avoid the kind of bewilderment Barty's previous opponents have experienced against her.

Home favourite pressure

Before a ball was even hit, Barty was the clear runaway favourite. But the world no.1 and Brisbane-born golden girl has seemed relaxed with that pressure for the first time in Melbourne Park, unlike her shock earlier exits in previous seasons. She has spoken non-stop about embracing the hype around the tournament and taking it in her stride, but is also expert at switching off - including keeping relaxed by watching the Women's Ashes in her downtime.

A major final on home turf at Rod Laver Arena is a new milestone though, and with the weight of history on her shoulders her nerve will truly be tested. The last Australian to win the Australian Open way back in 1978 was Chris O'Neil, and the prospect of ending that 44-year wait would rank as Barty's greatest achievement.

Collins is not a player likely to crumble when faced with a boisterous Australian crowd either, after her experience playing in front of partisan, albeit smaller, collegiate tennis crowds. If she can put pressure on Barty, there could be an upset.