Ipswich QLD 4305, Australia, 18 December 2017 | Tennis Queensland

Ipswich girl and Australia’s leading tennis player Ash Barty has been handed the key to her home city of Ipswich in recognition of her outstanding contribution to tennis.

The 21-year-old accepted the significant honour from Mayor Andrew Antoniolli in a ceremony attended by friends and family at George Alder Tennis Centre on Saturday.

“It’s pretty special and cool as this is where I was born and bred and it’s particularly special to be here at George Alder as
this is where I made my professional debut,” Barty said.

Mayor Andrew Antoniolli said the city was extremely proud of Ash’s return to tennis after a break from the court in late 2014.

“Since then Ash has bounced back into the spotlight with awesome performances around the world including her best Grand Slam singles result in reaching the third round of the 2017 Australian Open and 2017 US Open.

“This year has also seen Ashleigh fly up the WTA rankings from top 100 in March to number 17 at year end.

“The Key to the City represents the highest honour we can present to an individual.

“For Ash, this means recognition of her outstanding achievements in tennis and the admirable way she conducts herself on and off court.

“Ash is a true role model for not only her community, but all Australians.”