And just like that, World No. 1 Ash Barty has beat out Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon semi-final, making her the first Aussie to reach the Wimbledon ladies’ singles final in 41 years. Whether you’re a tennis fan or not, you’ll want to tune in to witness the Barty party at the Wimbledon final, because this is huge news for Aussies.
Ash will be facing Czech tennis queen and World No. 13 Karolína Plíšková. It’s going to be a gorgeous clash of skill, as both players have made impressive runs to get to the final.
Personally, we’re geeked, because Barty is the first Aussie to make the Wimbledon final since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980. That’s a long time ago, folks.
“Wimbledon for me has been an amazing place of learning,” Ash Barty told reporters on Friday.
“Probably 2018, 2019 was some of my toughest weeks playing. To come away with our losses in those two tournaments, I learned a hell of a lot from those two times.
“A lot of the time, your greatest growth comes from your darkest times. That’s why this tournament has been so important to me. I’ve learned so much with all my experiences – the good, bad, everything in between I’ve been able to learn from.
“Just to be able to keep chipping away, keep putting yourself out there, let yourself be vulnerable, just be yourself, knowing that everything that comes with that is an opportunity to learn. That’s been a massive one for us this fortnight.”
So how can I join the Barty party?
The Saturday night Wimbledon final will be going down at 2pm in Wimbledon, which translates to 11pm AEST, 10.30pm ACST and 9pm AWST for those of us in Western Australia.
You can watch the final on Channel Nine or Stan Sport. If you don’t currently have a Stan Sport subscription, you can get one right here or try out a 7-day free trial just in time to watch the final.
And, you don’t need to worry about rain ruining your viewing party, because the roof over Centre Court is up and nothing is going to ruin this big day.
If you need me I’ll be swinging my remote like a Wii controller as I watch Ash Barty KILL it in the Wimbledon finals. Best of luck Barty!
