Tennis-Barty imitates Goolagong idol for Reuters to win first Wimbledon title

By Martyn Herman

LONDON (Reuters) -Ash Barty joined the prestigious list of Australian names recorded on the Wimbledon silver boat when she beat Karolina Pliskova in the teenage finals, becoming the first woman in the Down Under team to win a 41-year individual title on Saturday.

The good 25-year-old world number went in search of a career that was a bit embarrassing, as Pliskova suffered one of the worst starts ever seen in a Wimbledon final, but eventually needed his best to claim a 6-3 6-7 (4) 6 -3 victory.

Pliskova pulled back a net and after an hour and 55 minutes of sawing action, Barty got on her knees in hopes of fulfilling her childhood dream.

With tears in his cheeks, he rose to the stands for his team, a tradition started by fellow Pat Cash in 1987 when he won the men’s singles.

Returning to the lush grass, Evonne Goolagong, who won the first of her two Wimbledon titles 50 years ago, spoke of the joy of emulating the idol before adding a second in 1980, since she had not won a single Australian woman.

Barty, like Goolagong, is proud of his native heritage and has worn a retro glass edge dress in honor of the Australian trailblazer.

“I was told to continue the fight,” Barty, who was questioned about his involvement at Wimbledon after being injured in the hip when he opened the French Open last month, said in court after receiving the Duchess of Cambridge’s Venus Rosewater Plate.

“Kayak (Carolina) has done my best today. It took me a long time to talk about wanting to win this awesome tournament … being able to live my dream right now is better than I could have ever imagined.

“I didn’t sleep much last night and while I was thinking about what was going on but I felt right at home on the court.

“I hope Evonne makes me feel proud.”

Barty won his Grand Slam girl at the 2019 French Open, but went on to become Wimbledon champion Goolagong, Margaret Court, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson (NYSE 🙂 and John Newcombe among the great Australian sports.

“So happy for you, our dreams have come true, what a struggle,” four-time Wimbledon champion Laver said on Twitter.

Since 1977, two Wimbledon finalists have gone to the women’s championship for the first time.

But only one appeared in the first set.

BAD MALAZUR

Pliskova’s eighth seed, who ended in a defeat at the previous Grand Slam final in the 2016 US Open, suffered the worst nightmare of all the players when she came to a solid stand.

Her feet seemed to be stuck in the clay, her arms in a straight jacket and her mind in the fog, while Barty helped the first 14 points of the match with clinical accuracy.

It seemed like a train wreck in slow motion and the people at the 15,000-strong court did not know how to see the face or had to leave it out of respect for the Czechs who suffered.

When Barty made a mistake in the lead, great joy broke the tension and Pliskova smiled awkwardly.

A double failure left it down 0-4 and it was hard to see how he would win the game, let alone the title.

As Barty was horrible, it seemed that Suzanne Lenglen didn’t need much more than the 23 minutes it took to defeat Molla Mallory in 1922, the shortest final recorded.

But gradually 29-year-old Pliskova froze and Barty broke his love service to win his first game, giving up service for the third time in the game.

On the way to the final, he broke only four times and served 54 assists.

Barty was stunned and missed the game in a row in the 28th minute before sealing a strange opener.

When Pliskova’s gremlins returned with two double failures early in the second set, Bartyri was given the title.

Queenslander started to tighten up and terribly, after the previous one, he saw Pliskova’s power play serve to stay in the second set when he started to click.

Pliksova’s fragility returned again and she surrendered 40-0 to 5-5 to allow Barty to win the title, 10 years after the girls won the individual.

A succession of right-wing nervousness gave Pliskova a lifeline, however, to tie the set.

Lady Luck seemed to be smiling as Pliskova got a cruel 4-2 string of nets to get Barty out of position before the Czechs threw a terrible dread on the people’s horrible spirits.

Barty twice failed to send the final to a decision-making set for the first time since 2012.

After holding on to the open nervousness, Barty was given a break when Pliskova got the easiest volley.

Pliskova was playing 2-5 to put Bartyri in the service of the title, a shrinking nerve in an evening that would never have been the result.

Barty put the right volley into the net at 30-30, with the open court open. But that aside he saved the breaking point and got the point with an ace.

One was all he needed to make his dream come true.