Barty and Vondrousova Reach Roland Garros Final
(June 7, 2019) In a pair of matches with ups and downs like a roller coaster ride, No. 8 seed Ashleigh Barty and 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova overcame momentum swings to reach the final of the French Open in Paris on Friday.
Barty, of Australia, came back to stop American teenager No. 51 ranked Amanda Anisimova’s run 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 while the Czech Republic’s Vondrousova beat No. 26 Johanna Konta of Great Britain 7-5, 7-6(2). For both winners, it will be their first major final. Barty will be he first Australian woman to reach the final of Roland Garros since Sam Stosur was a finalist in 2010. The last Czech player to reach the Paris final was Lucie Safarova who lost to Serena Williams in 2015.
Barty began the match by racing to a 5-0 lead in less than fifteen minutes on Court Suzanne Lenglen, with set points at 15-40 in the sixth game. Anisimova stormed back to win the next 6 games for a 6-5 lead. Barty finally held serve to force a tiebreak. Barty had a 4-2 lead in the tiebreak and Anisimova came back to claim the tiebreak 7-4.
In the second set Anisimova started out strong with a 3-0 lead, and this time Barty won the next 6 straight games to win the set 6-3.
Momentum like a pendulum swung to the American’s side early in the deciding set as Anisimova got an early break of serve for 2-1 lead. Barty took five out of the next six games to close out the match.
Barty is the first woman to reach 30 wins this year. She’ll reach the Top 5 in the rankings and can go as high as No. 2 should she win the tournament.
The other semifinal has its own twists and turns on Court Simonne-Mathieu, Johanna Konta was trying to become the first British woman reach a major final since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977.
Konta had break leads in both sets and served to close out both sets but was broken each time. Vondrousova rallied from 3-5 down in both sets for the victory.
Vondrousova exacted a little revenge as she lost to Konta in Rome just three weeks ago 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
The Czech teen, ranked No. 38 in the world, is the first teenage finalist at Roland Garros since 19-year-old Ana Ivanovic in 2007.
This will be the Czech’s third final of the year.
More to follow….
