Australia's Ashleigh Barty storms into her maiden Wimbledon final
What's the story
Women's world number one Ashleigh Barty reached her maiden Wimbledon final after defeating the 25th seed Angelique Kerber. Barty breezed past the former champion 6-3, 7-6(3) in the semi-final that ran for over an hour. The Aussie has made it to her second final at a Grand Slam, having won the 2019 French Open previously. Here are further details.
Wimbledon
Semi-final
Match
How did the match pan out?
Barty was all over Kerber in the first set as she raced t a 3-0 lead. Although the latter tried to stage a comeback, Barty closed the set after the 30-minute mark. Kerber, who has been on a roll on grass of late, won the first three games in the following set. The set went into the tie-break where Barty lost just three points.
Information
Barty's best run at Wimbledon
Barty is through to her first final at Wimbledon. Before the tournament's ongoing edition, she had never gone past the fourth round. The world number one is now eyeing her second Grand Slam title after winning the French Open in 2019.
Feat
First top seed to reach a Wimbledon final since 2016
Barty has become the first top seed to reach a Wimbledon final since 2016 when former world number one Serena Williams defeated Kerber in the final. After reaching the semi-final in London, Barty had already guaranteed a number one (WTA) finish. The Australian will face either second seed Aryna Sabalenka or number eight seed Karolina Pliskova in the final.
Kerber
Barty ends winning streak of Kerber
Earlier in the ongoing tournament, Barty had ended the 15-match winning streak of 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova. This time, she ousted Kerber, who had extended her winning streak to 10 matches this year. Ahead of Wimbledon, Kerber won five consecutive matches to win the Homburg Open. The 33-year-old was deemed a key contender to lift the title this week.