We may have our third world number one player of 2019 emerge on the final day of the #NatureValleyClassic as Ashleigh Barty put herself just one win away from the title and the number one ranking, but will have to first conquer the powerful Julia Goerges tomorrow. They prevailed in their semifinals with straightforward scorelines and is set for a rematch of their second-round encounter last year.
Barty survives Strycova challenge
#BarboraStrycova, a former finalist back in 2016, looked to give #AshleighBarty a run for her money in the semifinals. The Czech started the brighter but was increasingly frustrated with her inability to convert precious chances as Barty found life in her game. Dictating play with the big forehands, the Australian steered towards a 6-4, 6-4 win to reach her fourth final of the year as she survived the match without being broken.
Unforced errors uncharacteristically flooded Strycova’s game as she produced 28 of them throughout the entire 84-minute encounter. Barty erased all five break points she faced and was obviously the aggressor in this match as she blasted 24 winners as opposed to her opponent’s eight and served 11 aces along the way.
With this win, Barty places herself in a golden position to become the new world number one. As the rankings currently stand, the Roland Garros champion trails Osaka by just two points and a decent run in Eastbourne next week should seal the deal for her as well.
Goerges serves her way to the win
A day after firing 31 winners past Putintseva, #JuliaGoerges continued to fire winners at her own will, this time against #PetraMartic. The Croatian had to withstand five Ostapenko match points in the previous round to reach this stage of the tournament, but she was ultimately unable to deal with consistent power as Goerges triumphed 6-4, 6-3 after just an hour and 22-minutes of play.
Losing just six points behind her first serve and serving six aces, Goerges took the sole break point in the opening frame as she stole the first set 6-4 within a blink of an eye. The second set was well-played by both players amidst their first struggles on serve. Goerges had the last laugh and found 21 winners in that set alone (34 in the entire match) to break serve on three occasions, sealing her place in the final.
Goerges reached the semifinals at Wimbledon last year, and this run would definitely be an encouraging performance ahead of the Major event as she could suffer from a huge dip in ranking if she were to suffer an early exit.
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