By Scott Spits
Ashleigh Barty outclassed compatriot Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1, 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon semis – the world No.1’s best performance at the All-England Club – as the ladies’ singles was whittled down to a strong group of four players vying for the title.
Queenslander Barty needed little more than an hour to complete the victory and has lost just one set – in the first round – en route to the semi-finals. But standing in Barty’s way of a second major title are her next opponent, former champion Angelique Kerber, and second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova.
Ash Barty will take on 2018 champion Angelique Kerber in the semi-finals.Credit: AP
Barty was rapt to get to the next stage of her Wimbledon quest and said 2018 winner Kerber was “one of the best grass courters going around”.
It was the first all-Australian women’s grand slam quarter-final since the 1980 Wimbledon championships, and the 25-year-old Barty produced a calm and composed display.
Tomljanovic had battled past British wildcard Emma Raducanu the night before to reach her first grand slam quarter-final, but was nowhere to be seen in a one-sided first set.
The 28-year-old did make more of a match of it in the second set, breaking the Barty serve twice.
Barty always had another level though and ended Tomljanovic’s resistance in one hour and six minutes.
Barty agreed it was important to apply the pressure early on Tomljanovic, who hadn’t played on Wimbledon’s centre court before.
“It was something that I wanted to do is to start well. But also not making a massive, massive emphasis on the start, allowing myself to not panic if things didn’t start overly well,” she said.
“It was just working my way in, like we always do, not putting any more emphasis on any point or any situation. It just kind of is what it is. Each and every one, I just wanted to try and play as I could with as much clarity and freedom as I could.”
The Australians embraced on Centre Court after their quarter-final.Credit: Getty Images
Barty has made no secret of her desire to win her first Wimbledon title, 50 years after Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who also has Indigenous Australian heritage, won her first title.
She wears a FILA trailblazer outfit modelled on Goolagong’s and her stylish all-court game would not have looked out of place in any era.
In reaching the final four, Barty became the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005 to do so. Jelena Dokic, five years earlier, was the last Australian woman to charge to the semis.
“This is my dream. I’m in an extremely fortunate position that I’m getting to do what I love, getting to do what I dreamt as a kid. So I think I’ve just got a whole lot of gratitude for the fact that I get to come out here and do what I love,” Barty said.
“The world, the way we’re living at the moment, I think it’s incredible that we’re able to play, compete, have people enjoy it with us.”
Barty won the French Open in 2019, becoming the first Australian to do so since Margaret Court in 1973.
But despite winning the Wimbledon girls’ title in 2011, she has not always produced her best on the London lawns.
There is a growing confidence about Barty this time, however, although 33-year-old left-hander Kerber represents a daunting semi-final obstacle.
“Angie obviously has an incredible record here. She’s made multiple finals. She’s one of the best grass courters going around. I think the challenge of playing her in a semi-final of Wimbledon is an incredible opportunity, one that I’m really excited for,” said Barty.
“It’s not scary or overwhelming, it’s just exciting. It’s exciting to have the challenge of playing someone who is comfortable on these courts, who knows how to win this tournament.”
Barty was in cruise control in the opening set as her variety of spins and angles flummoxed the world No.75.
To her credit, Tomljanovic managed to make some inroads in the second set, breaking in the first game and then again to drag herself back from 4-1 down.
But Barty was not in the mood for overtime and got the job done in efficient fashion without needing top gear, serving a couple of aces as she held for victory.
Tomljanovic will jump into the top 50 after her Wimbledon performance.Credit: Getty Images
Tomljanovic, who will represent Australia at the Olympics, can take consolation from the fact that she will now jump into the world’s top 50.
“It’s actually nice to hear that. Not to say I was panicking, but I wasn’t happy where my ranking was going,” Tomljanovic said.
“My main goal is just to build on this as best as I can. Sometimes I have good results and I tend to maybe, I don’t know, not take all the positive momentum I can. I’m really hoping that this time I just kind of use it just to my advantage and keep going.”
Kerber downs Muchova to set up Barty date
Germany’s Kerber put in a strong show to beat an error-prone Karolina Muchova 6-2, 6-3 on Tuesday to reach the semi-finals.
Multiple major winner Kerber, seeded 25th at the All England Club, arrived for her quarter-final having beaten Czech Muchova both times in their two meetings in two weeks in 2019 and never lost control of the match under the closed court one roof.
Angelique Kerber will now play Ash Barty in the semi-final on Friday.Credit: Getty Images
Former world No.1 Kerber, who also won the Australian Open and the US Open in 2016, used her forehand immaculately against 19th seed Muchova and also mixed her drop shots expertly to set up chances for winners.
Muchova, who had her left thigh strapped, did not help her cause by committing 27 unforced errors against the nine winners she managed during the 75-minute contest.
The Czech was also guilty of failing to take her chances, managing to convert only one of the eight break-point opportunities she had on the left-hander’s serve.
The 33-year-old Kerber, who arrived at Wimbledon with a title from Bad Homburg in her home country in the lead-up and is the only former champion left in the draw, broke Muchova twice in each set.
The German sealed the contest when Muchova sent a forehand long on her second match point.
She fired 15 winners and converted four of her six break point opportunities to reach her first major semi-final since her title-winning run at Wimbledon three years ago.
On the other half of the draw, Pliskova outclassed Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-2 before Sabalenka, one of Barty’s main rivals in 2021, ended the run of Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur with a 6-4, 6-3 win.
With Reuters
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