Barty wins Wimbledon title to become Australia's first women's singles champion in 41 years

Ash Barty has won her first Wimbledon crown, beating Karolina Pliskova in a nerve-shredding final to become the first Australian to win the women's singles title for 41 years.

Ash Barty celebrates her Wimbledon triumph with the Venus Rosewater Dish

Ash Barty celebrates her Wimbledon triumph with the Venus Rosewater Dish Source: Getty Images

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Just like her idol and mentor Evonne Goolagong Cawley almost half a century earlier, Barty, another Indigenous Australian, annexed the Venus Rosewater Dish but she needed real steel to go with the style on Sunday morning (AEST) to win 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 on Centre Court.

The Ngarigo woman had said she would have to play the match of her life to become the first Australian woman since Goolagong Cawley in 1980 to take the crown and she did just that, breaking the most feared serve in the game six times.
Yet she effectively had won the match twice, having served for it at 6-5 in the second set and seemingly roaring to her dream triumph before the Czech world No.13 finally shook off her early nerves to battle back, win a fortuitous tiebreak and take the match into a decider.

Barty then showed why she's the world No.1, recovering her poise to take the final set after one hour and 55 minutes and she slumped to her haunches, with tears of joy, as it dawned what she had achieved.
It marked the most significant milestone yet on an incredible global journey for 25-year-old Barty, who left Australia in March and had suffered tournament-winning elation and injury-ridden despair in equal measure leading into this crowning triumph.

Just a month ago, she feared she would not even make the start line at Wimbledon because of the hip injury she suffered at the French Open.

Yet after a remarkable rehabilitation and growing stronger with each round, Ipswich's finest saved her best for last to become only Australia's third ladies champion after Margaret Court and Goolagong as she lifted her fourth title of an astonishing year.

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2 min read
Published 11 July 2021 7:49am
By SBS Sport
Source: SBS News


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