LONDON - It can be hard for Ash Barty to imagine that the journey to her first Wimbledon final was near when she stopped playing at the French Open last month due to a hip injury.
Or even when she was two points away from being pushed into the third set by Angelique Kerber in Thursday's semifinal at the All England Club.
Barty doesn't let the odds bother him for long. She finds a way. So she is ranked No. 1 and now beat 2018 champion Kerber 6-3, 7-6(3) to win a second Grand Slam title.
Barty said, "I have ups and downs and all in between and I will not, one day or one moment or one, change the kind of road that we have taken in our path and our journey." The junior champion at the All England Club and was away from tennis for almost two years starting in 2014 due to burnout.
"It's been unique. It's been incredible. It's been tough. There's a lot of things that led up to this point," she told the Center Court audience. "Being able to play last Saturday here at Wimbledon is going to be the best experience ever."
Barty is the first Australian woman to reach the title of a grass-court major since Ivonne Gulagong in 1980.
The opponent will be No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka or No. 8 Karolina Pliskova on Saturday. They met in the second semi-final.
Barty, 25, won the 2019 French Open for her maiden Grand Slam title.
On Thursday, she faced a major test in the second set, two points from owning Kerber when Barty worked on the deuce while trailing 5-2. The full capacity crowd was also supporting the 33-year-old German's comeback effort, "Come on, Angie!" with the slogan. and "Go on, Kerber!"
But Barty strengthened herself to hold there, then broke to reach within 5-4 with a cross-court forehand passing winner.
It was part of a 38–16 advantage in overall winners for Barty, which accounted for his victory more than anything else. And it was remarkable: He compiled several point-ending shots, making only 16 unforced errors.
"This is the best tennis match I'll ever play," Barty said. "Angie definitely brought the best out of me today."
It was an entertaining and, point-to-point, but also contested, two talented baseliners ready to try a volley, drop shot or lob if required. They were equal to each other for long exchanges - in total, 22 points lasted at least nine strokes, with Kerber winning a dozen.
However their perspectives are different. Kerber is a left-handed player who hits flat groundstrokes and is fine with handling low shots of enemies, often leaving his knees on the turf to gain leverage.
Barty is a right who relies on heavy topspin for a power-packed forehand, and his slice backhand can create a difficult bounce on the grass.
She finished with an 8-0 lead in aces and 18-9 in forehand winners.