Ashleigh Barty downs Karolina Pliskova to win maiden Wimbledon title

Bengaluru, July 10: World No. one Ashleigh Barty overcame Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 to lift her maiden Wimbledon crown and her second Grand Slam title at the All England Club on Saturday.

While this was Barty's maiden title at the All England club, Barty also became the first Australian woman to win Wimbledon for 41 years.

In a roller-coster match, Barty got off to a great start as she took a commanding lead, clinching the first set 6-3 against Pliskova. But the Australian player was made to wait for her maiden Wimbledon title, as Pliskova fought back to take the second set 7-6 (4), to take the Wimbledon final into the decider.

Pliskova fought back from a break down twice to win the second set, yet the 25-year-old Barty regrouped to become only the fourth junior Wimbledon champion to go on and win the women's title.

🏆 #Wimbledon | @ashbarty pic.twitter.com/JC25bcZp8X

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2021

The confident World No. 1 held onto her nerves as she took the final set 6-3 to lift her maiden Wimbledon title. Former World No. 1 Pliskova showed flashes of brilliance as she made Barty, who withdrew from the French Open last month with a hip injury, work until the end, but served it out, sealing victory when her opponent netted a backhand.

Both Barty and Pliskova were playing in the grass-court major final for the first time. Neither player had made it past the fourth round at the All England Club prior to the 2021 Wimbledon. While Barty pocketed her second Grand Slam title, Pliskova is yet to lay her hands on a major trophy.

The Queenslander ended a wait for an Australian woman to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish that stretched back to 1980, when her mentor Evonne Goolagong Cawley won the title.

Ten years ago Barty had lifted the junior title. And a decade later destiny has been fulfilled as Barty lifted the women's single title at the Centre Court on Saturday.

(With inputs from OPTA)