Tennis: Barty reaches WTA summit to complete remarkable rise

Ashleigh Barty will become the first Australian in 43 years to climb to the top of the WTA singles ranking after she won the Birmingham Classic grasscourt title on Sunday.

The 23-year-old beat Germany's Julia Goerges 6-3 7-5 in the final, meaning she will knock Japan's Naomi Osaka off the summit when the new rankings are released on Monday.

"It's been the most incredible journey for me and my team," Barty said on court after a standing ovation from the crowd and a warm hug from her doubles partner Goerges.

"You always dream about (being number one) as a little kid but for it to become a reality it's incredible and not something that was even in my realm, we were aiming for top 10 this year."

Barty's route to the top has been nothing if not an unconventional one.

The former junior Wimbledon champion took an indefinite break from tennis at the end of 2014, recently citing mental health issues as the reason, and played Big Bash cricket for Brisbane Heat before returning to the sport in 2016.

Since then the Queenslander's rise has been remarkable.

"We started from scratch three and a half years ago without a ranking and now to be where we are is a massive achievement for me and my team," Barty, whose return has been overseen by coach Craig Tyzzer, said.

She won the Miami title this year to break into the top 10 for the first time, then this month she became the first Australian woman to win the French Open for 46 years.

Now she has become the 27th woman to reach number one since WTA rankings were introduced in 1975.

"She is a truly impressive person and deserves every success that comes her way. I couldn't be prouder to be her coach," Tyzzer told the WTA's website.

"Over the last three years, Ash has grown as a person and as a player. What has stayed constant is her genuine, humble and respectful nature."

Despite the prize at stake, Barty looked calm and composed throughout the final against doubles partner Goerges on Sunday, just as she did when beating Marketa Vondrousova in the Roland Garros final a fortnight ago.

Her only moment of concern was when she faced a set point at 4-5 in the second. But in true champion style she fired an ace.

Two games later a Goerges error confirmed Barty's coronation and the end of Osaka's 21-week stay at the summit.

The last Australian woman to reach the number one ranking was Evonne Goolagong in 1976 although it only came to light 31 years later after the discovery of an error in the records.

Like Goolagong, Barty is proud of her indigenous Australian heritage, with her father having Ngarigo ancestry through one of his grandmothers.

"I'm a little bit speechless, it's been a whirlwind few weeks to be honest and to be able to follow in the footsteps of Evonne and even mentioned in the same sentence is incredible," Barty, who will now be top seed at Wimbledon, said.

"What she has done for our sport and Australians all around the world, she put us on the map, and what she has done for indigenous Australians is remarkable."

There will be no elaborate celebrations for Barty, however, as she said she was getting straight in a car to head own to Eastbourne to continue her Wimbledon preparations.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Kerber scrambles for Wimbledon boost

BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom -- Angelique Kerber’s chances of clinging to a small lead at the top of the world rankings may hinge on the quality of her performances at the Birmingham WTA grass court event starting Monday.

They may also have a crucial bearing on Kerber’s ability to challenge for the title at Wimbledon which begins in a fortnight’s time, as she makes the often tricky transition from clay to grass courts at the $800,000 Premier level event.

The signs do not appear good for the 29-year-old Poland-born German, even though she been number one much of the time since September.

She has yet to capture a title this year and none of her 21 wins in 11 tournaments have been against a top 20 opponent.


Nevertheless Kerber is significantly more effective on grass than on clay, and won her first title on the speedier, lower-bouncing surface in Birmingham two years ago. She went on to reach the Wimbledon final last year.

Another good run at the tranquil, tree-lined Edgbaston Priory Club, with its leafy affluence and well-manicured courts, may be within her capacity, and if so it could work wonders for wavering confidence.

Although Kerber often says that protecting a ranking and coping with pressure are issues she tries to keep from her mind, there is little doubt that a few wins and some lengthy court time would be very timely.

“I always look forward to grass,” she emphasises. “And I really like playing here.”

Kerber comes into the event still smarting from becoming the first top seed to lose in the opening round at Roland Garros.

She has also landed a potentially difficult draw.

Her opener is against Lucie Safarova, the 2015 French Open finalist from the Czech Republic, and there is a possible quarter-final against the fifth seeded Kristina Mladenovic, the French woman who spectacularly halted Garbine Muguruza’s French Open title defence.

If Kerber does make the final her opponent, according to the seedings, should be Elina Svitolina, who captured the Italian Open title last month and has prevailed in both her encounters with Kerber this year.

However two notable withdrawals after their French Open exertions are Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova, and they are Kerber’s closest rivals for the number one ranking.

Her capacity for taking advantage of these absences may depend on how well her fitness holds up, for adaptations in shot-making on grass which require a lower centre of gravity, can bring new physical stresses.

Kerber retired with a thigh strain against Eugenie Bouchard in the third round in Madrid last month.

Meanwhile there will also be focus on Petra Kvitova, the trenchant left-hander who has twice been the champion at Wimbledon.

Grass is by far Kvitova’s best surface and she should enjoy returning to it.

However the most she will probably aspire to is continued rehabilitation from career-threatening hand injuries suffered during a horrendous knife attack by an intruder at her home last year.

The likeable Czech has been able to play only two matches this year, and even modest progress this week may earn sympathetic acclaim and hopes that, at the age of 27, she might yet resurrect her career.

source: news.abs-cbn.com