Ashleigh Barty reaches first Wimbledon final after beating Angelique Kerber | Tennis | Sport
[ad_1]
Ashleigh Barty put in another dominant display on Centre Court against Angelique Kerber to reach her first Wimbledon final of her career. Barty had previously never made it past the fourth round in the singles draw of Wimbledon in seven attempts.
And there were some questions on whether she would even compete at this year’s tournament after pulling out of the French Open with injury.
There was a brief shaky moment in the opening round against Carla Suarez Navarro, but the world No 1 has since looked unbeatable.
However, Kerber has earned a reputation throughout her career as one of the best grasscourt players on the WTA Tour.
The German tennis star won Wimbledon back in 2018 and the British major has been her favoured event over the years.
It was always going to be a fascinating match up and the pair have been evenly matched in their previous matches.
The first set was always going to be important in this match and Barty came out firing on all cylinders.
Barty appeared calm and collected on her side of the net as she stuck to her game plan, breaking Kerber in the German’s first service game.
From there, Barty always looked confident in keeping her opponent at bay to take the first set.
Kerber though was always going to mount a comeback and she more than threatened to force a decider.
The 33-year-old quickly raced to a 5-2 lead, asking serious questions of the 2019 French Open champion.
Barty answered in emphatic fashion though, breaking back when it mattered most to stay in the set and force a tiebreak.
She then had momentum on her side going into the tiebreak and took full advantage in racing to a 5-0 lead, before clinching the win at 7-3.
“This is incredible and close to as good a tennis match as I will play. Angelique brought the best out of me and now I have a chance on Saturday to live out a childhood dream,” she said.
“You have to enjoy the journey and all the opportunities I have I get to do with the people I love and help me be the best I can be.
“It’s about coming here and having fun. Playing in front of this crowd and on a beautiful court there is nothing better.
“I have had ups, downs and everything in between on this journey. There’s a lot of things which have led to this point. To play in the final at Wimbledon on Saturday will be the best thing ever.”
[ad_2]
Source link
