How happy does Ash Barty look with the trophy!
A word on Marketa Vondrousova. The 19-year-old reached the final without dropping a set and became the youngest finalist here in 11 years. A terrific performance from the unseeded Czech.
“First of all, congrats Ash and your team, you gave me a lesson today. You’re an amazing player and you’re such a nice person, so you deserve this,” she says to the champion.
Barty to Vondrousova: I have absolutely no doubt that you’ll be in Grand Slam finals in the future.”
Congratulations pouring in from the tennis community! Look at the love from Australian players and more importantly, her peers on the WTA tour.
“I played the perfect match today. I’m so proud of myself and my team,” says the champion. She praises her opponent, who is in tears, saying that she will be in many more Grand Slam finals.
After her chat, she is in tears herself. The magnitude of her win is just sinking in.
She is set to rise to world No 2 in the latest WTA rankings.
Ash Barty beats Marketa Vondrousova: 6-1, 6-3 to win her first singles Grand Slam title!
Is this the game? Yes it is! The game goes to deuce a couple of times, but this time Barty returns with interest and rallies to closes it out with an overhead smash. The Aussie 8th seed wraps it up in an hour in 10 minutes to lift her first singles Major in her first final.
She has ended Australia’s 46-year wait for a Roland Garros women’s singles champion.
The 23-year-old drops to one knee in the middle of the court and puts her head on her arms. Her coach comes to court and they hug it out. What a moment for the youngster!
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 6-1, 5-3
Barty holds to love! The game point comes on a ball that was almsot dead as she gently places a volley in an open court. She is a game away from her title.
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 6-1, 4-3
Vondrousova manages another good hold with a clean game, but till she starts sticking in on Barty’s serve, this final is all but done.
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 6-1, 4-2
Another easy hold for Barty and she is now two games away from her first singles Grand Slam title, as the clock strikes one hour of the match.
History repeating?
The last two French Open women’s singles final were won by a player who was a set and a break down – Jelena Ostapenko in 2017 and Simona Halep in 2018.
Hard to see the pattern repeat here though, but in sport you never know!
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 6-1, 3-2
Vondrousova holds to love! In what is her easiest service game of the match so far, she is showing glimpses of her self from the earlier matches.
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 6-1, 3-1
An easy hold for Barty, focussed on the finish line.
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 6-1, 2-1
Vondrousova has her first hold of the match! Will this be a tunring point?
Barty had yet another break point when a shot that was called out by the line judges was called in by the umpire. The commentators remark how this incident pretty much sums up the match for Vondrousova. But the teen responds with a terrific ace and even as the game goes to deuce three times, she puts up good fight and manages her first hold of the match!
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 6-1, 2-0
That was a long game at over 8 minutes!
Vondrousova takes Barty to deuce on serve four times as her game is peppered with errors.
But the 8th seed saves a break point with a tidy play play clinched with an overhead and then holds when the teen dumps her return in the net. The seeded player is too strong here!
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 6-1, 1-0
Same story to start the second set as Vondrousova is still unable to hold serve in the final. The game goes to deuce, the teen calls the chair umpire down twice to check the lines but it is advantage Barty as she leads by a set and a break.
All the numbers from that first set...
The 12 unforced errors from Vondrousova, most of them very early in the game, cost her dear.
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 6-1
The 8th seed takes the first with a breadtsick in 28 minutes!
Barty serving for the first set, plays an impressive game to get 2 set points. Vondrousove hits a stinging, on-the-line return on the first, but she drills in the second with a winner.
She seems so composed in her first singles Grand Slam final – she has reached four in doubles with one title – while her opponent seems to be overawed by the occasion. But from what we have seen all through this tournament, a turnaround can happen any time.
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 5-1
Barty breaks right back!
A gorgeous drop from Barty brings up a triple break point in the sixth game. A looping, down-the-line forehand winner saves the first, the second and third when Barty’s low returns find the net after long rallies.
The Aussie gets advantage in the deuce game and she converts when the Czech errs on forehand.
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 4-1
Vondrousova breaks back!
The teen gets her first break point of the match but Barty fires down a winner to take the game to deuce. She keeps up the pressure and gets another chance to break when Barty sends one long but this time, it is saved by a splendid running forehand.
A third break point is offered and this time, Vondrousova converts with punching returns that force a net error. Game on!
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 4-0
Barty goes double break up!
Barty has all the strokes as Vondruousova continues making unforced errors to give up break points. She pulls back for deuce before sending a forehand long to go down a break point again. The teen forces another deuce, this time with a successful drop but another error means it BP No 3 which the seeded player converts with a forehand punch that is netted.
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 3-0
Barty holds to love! A nice, complete service game from Aussie as she mixes it up to make matters worse for her teen opponent. Nerves at this stage would be expected.
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 2-0
Barty breaks early!
She had has the first two points in return but Vondrousova stems the tide with a defensive rally that forces an error. Still, it’s Barty who gets double break point and she converts the second on error to get an early 2-0 lead.
Ash Barty vs Marketa Vondrousova: 1-0
Barty starts with a solid hold: good mix of her forehand and seals the deal with her trademark ace.
Head to head record
Barty leads 2-0
2018 Cincinnati, hard court round of 64 – Barty wins 6-3, 7-5
2017 Birmingham, grass court round of 32 – Barty 7-5, 7-6 (7/1)
7.54 pm: Here are their paths to the final.
Barty
1st rd: bt Jessica Pegula (USA) 6-3, 6-3
2nd rd: bt Danielle Collins (USA) 7-5, 6-1
3rd rd: bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 6-3, 6-1
4th rd: bt Sofia Kenin (USA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-0
QF: bt Madison Keys (USA x14) 6-3, 7-5
SF: bt Amanda Anisimova (USA) 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3
Vondrousova
1st rd: bt Wang Yafan (CHN) 6-4, 6-3
2nd rd: bt Anastasia Potapova (RUS) 6-4, 6-0
3rd rd: bt Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x28) 6-4, 6-4
4th rd: bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT x12) 6-2, 6-0
QF: bt Petra Martic (CRO x31) 7-6 (7/1), 7-5
SF: bt Johanna Konta (GBR x26) 7-5, 7-6 (7/2)
7.51 pm: Ashleigh Barty aims to end Australia’s 46-year wait for a Roland Garros women’s singles champion on Saturday when she faces Czech teenage breakout star Marketa Vondrousova.
Margaret Court was the last Australian woman to triumph in Paris in 1973 when she won her fifth and final title in the French capital after 1962, 1964, 1969 and 1970.
That was part of a golden era for Australian women with Lesley Turner (1963 and 1965) and Evonne Goolagong (1971) also triumphing at the clay court Slam.
“It would be incredible,” said 23-year-old eighth seed Barty on her chances of adding her name to that storied roll of honour.
Barty, like her 19-year-old Czech opponent, is in her maiden Slam final having laid down a marker by making the quarter-finals of a major for the first time on home ground in Australia in January.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for myself and my team. Like I said, we have worked so hard to put ourselves in these positions.
“Now we get to go out there and really enjoy it. That’s the only way to approach it is to go out and enjoy it, have fun, try and play with freedom. That’s ultimately when I play my best tennis and that’s what we are after.”