Top seed Ashleigh Barty’s path to her first Wimbledon singles final
World number one Ashleigh Barty is through to her first women’s singles final at Wimbledon.
The 25-year-old will take on Karolina Pliskova for the Venus Rosewater Dish on Saturday.
Here, the PA news agency charts the Australian’s path to the trophy showdown.
First round – beat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1 6-7 (1) 6-1
Barty was playing her first match since withdrawing from the French Open with a hip injury and Suarez Navarro her final one at Wimbledon before retirement after recovering from cancer. Barty lost her only set of the tournament so far but hit back strongly on an emotional occasion.
Second round – beat Anna Blinkova 6-4 6-3
Barty was not at her best against 22-year-old Russian Blinkova, hitting nine double faults, but was rewarded for an aggressive game plan with a straight-sets win nonetheless.
Third round – beat Katerina Siniakova 6-3 7-5
Barty equalled her previous best run at the All England club by defeating Czech Siniakova. The Australian was broken serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set but forged ahead again with a precision lob and this time completed the job.
Fourth round – beat Barbora Krejcikova 7-5 6-3
The 25-year-old trod new ground at Wimbledon by ending the winning run of surprise French Open champion Krejcikova. Barty trailed early on against the Czech but hit back to take the opening set and completed the job in straight sets.
Quarter-finals – beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1 6-3
Barty’s fellow Australian Tomljanovic was through to the last eight at a slam for the first time and found herself swiftly dispatched on Centre Court as the top seed continued to improve.
Semi-finals – beat Angelique Kerber 6-3 7-6 (3)
BARTY MAGIC 💫@ashbarty secures her spot in the #Wimbledon final, defeating Angelique Kerber 6-3 7-6(3)
She becomes the first Aussie ladies’ singles finalist at the tournament since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980 🇦🇺#GoAussies pic.twitter.com/nswa4cCARw
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) July 8, 2021
Barty knew she would have to play her best match of the tournament so far and she did so, flying out of the blocks to open up a 3-0 lead and showing all the skills that make her the best player in the world right now. She was 4-1 down in the second set but hit back impressively.
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