Wimbledon 2021: Ashleigh Barty Wins First Wimbledon Open Title
Written By Omolagba Oluwayemi
Ashleigh Barty is the first Australian woman to win the singles trophy at the All England Club since Evonne Goolagong in 1980.
Barty got off to a perfect start in the Wimbledon final, collecting the first 14 points, then needed to hold off a comeback bid before beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 on Saturday for her second Grand Slam title.
Ten years after winning the girls’ singles title at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old, Barty came into Saturday’s final having won five of the seven matches she had played against Pliskova.
The 25-year-old Barty, who won her maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2019, emulated her idol Evonne Goolagong who claimed the second of her All England Club titles in 1980.
“I hope I made Evonne proud,” Barty said on court after the trophy presentation. “This is incredible.”
Barty was at her best at the beginning of each set against the eighth-seeded Pliskova.
Barty’s most significant wobble came late in the second set. She served for the victory ahead 6-5 but sailed consecutive forehands long to get broken, then was shaky in the ensuing tiebreaker, which she ceded with a double-fault.
In the third, though, Barty went up an early break, led 3-0 and stayed the course in the first Wimbledon women’s final to go three sets since 2012. It also was the first since 1977 between two participants who never had been that far at the All England Club.
Neither Barty nor Pliskova made it past the fourth round at the grass-court major until this fortnight.
“I was proud of myself that I could keep chipping away at the start of the third set. It took me a while to say I wanted to win this tournament, but it’s better than I ever imagined.
“I didn’t sleep last night, but I felt at home out on the court.”
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