Ashleigh Barty outplays Angelique Kerber to reach first Wimbledon final

The first thing to know about Ashleigh Barty is that she loves grass. She won the girls’ title here as a 15-year-old a decade ago, has a game that is perfectly suited to the fast, low bounce and has frequently said she spends much of the season counting down the days until the grass arrives again. While Barty tends to be wary of revealing too many of her ambitions, before this tournament she made it clear that winning the title was an ultimate goal.

Such an affinity with any tournament can come with heightened pressure but throughout the past 10 days she has risen to the challenges in crucial moments. Against the in-form player, Barty produced one of the highest-quality big-match performances of her career, outplaying Angelique Kerber to win 6-3, 7-6 (3) and reach her first Wimbledon final.

After the glorious chaos of the French Open, which produced four first-time grand slam semi-finalists, such is the unpredictability of the women’s game that three weeks later the final stages here could hardly be more orderly. Of the four semi-finalists, Barty is the world No 1, Kerber and Karolina Pliskova are former No 1s and Aryna Sabalenka is the second seed.

This scenario presented an interesting experience for Barty. In her two previous grand slam semi-finals, Barty had been the most accomplished player on the court and the favourite to win. Both matches were affected by nerves on both sides of the net, the contests wavering in quality.

Quick Guide Roundup: Leo Borg out of boys event before ATP Tour bow Show

It has been a few decades since Björn Borg walked tall on these courts, the Swede followed round by hordes of young fans in a manner that would be impossible in these days of heightened security. Yesterday, though, the photographers were on the lookout for the great man as his son, Leo, continued his quest in the juniors.

Unfortunately for the snappers, there was no sign of Björn. Unfortunately for Leo, he was beaten handily 6-1, 6-2 by Petr Vojtech, of the Czech Republic. The 18-year-old Borg, who is just beginning to make the transition to the senior tour, was reportedly suffering with a leg injury, which didn’t help matters.

The Borg name goes a long way though and fitness permitting, the teenager will soon make his first forays onto the ATP Tour. Next week, he will try to qualify for the Nordea Open on home soil in Bastad; two weeks later, he will play in the Challenger Tour event in Poznan, Poland, having been given a wildcard into the main draw.

There was disappointment for Joe Salisbury, the Briton losing his semi final of the men’s doubles with Rajeev Ram as they were beaten 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5) by the No 1 seeds, Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic of Croatia.

There was a fine win for Jordanne Whiley in the women’s wheelchair singles event, beating the 2019 champion Aniek van Koot from the Netherlands, 6-2, 6-0. “I was getting a bit fed up with losing in the first round of grand slams,” she said. Whiley meets top seed Diede de Groot in the semi-finals today.

And 18-year-old Briton Alicia Dudeney showed there is more talent coming on the women’s side as she won back to back matches to reach the quarter-finals of the girls singles. Simon Cambers

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It is entirely different to face a player as experienced as Kerber, who has gone deep in grand slam events many times, has won three titles and would almost certainly produce a sufficient level of play under pressure. Barty had no choice but to play her best and so she did.

She hit 38 winners and 16 unforced errors, losing her serve once. One of the clearest battles was the contest between serve and return, with Barty arriving in the semi-finals not serving quite as well as she could while Kerber has dismantled all those slammed down at her.

No player had more than 62% of first-serve points against the 2018 Wimbledon champion all week, including Coco Gauff who rained down countless 120mph bombs on Centre Court. Behind some gargantuan serving, Barty finished with 88% first-serve points won, losing five of 41 points on it.

Barty started the match saving a break point with an angled forehand winner. She struck that shot purely and with noticeable freedom as she dominated the baseline in the first set. Almost every important game was punctuated by a stroke destined for highlights reels.

Barty broke serve for 2-0 with a forehand down-the-line winner straight off a Kerber smash, then closed off a hold for 5-2 with a backhand-slice winner that died on the surface. After suffering in her final service game of the set, Barty closed it out with an ace.

Ashleigh Barty serves to Angelique Kerber. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

There was always going to be a response and Kerber quickly took an early break in set two. She forced herself on top of the baseline and unflinchingly changed directions off both wings, relentlessly finding depth with her backhand.

In parts of the second set, the quality was breathtaking with two world No 1s and grand slam champions on their favourite surface going toe to toe. But errors were never too far away from Kerber’s game as she continued to push hard. They crept in at the close when she failed to serve out the set at 5-3 and Barty snapped back into the match. From 4-5, Barty took control again, fortifying her serve and lasering forehand winners through the tie-break to claim victory.

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In some ways Barty will hope that she never again arrives at Wimbledon as she did this year. After her hip injury and retirement at the French Open, she was thrust into a race against time simply to be ready. With no prior tournament on grass, the early rounds here doubled as her warmup event and although she moved through with the loss of one set, the adjustments needed were clear. The best champions, however, have all thrived in a variety of difficult circumstances.

This year Barty has handled all the challenges in the tournament she has long been desperate to win. Fifty years after Evonne Goolagong’s triumph, she has given herself the chance to emulate it.