Head-to-head history
Barty has won both their previous meetings in straight sets, but the battles have been closer than the scorelines suggest – and this final will be their first contest on clay. On the Birmingham grass in 2017, Barty came through 7-5, 7-6(1), while on Cincinnati’s hard courts last year she won 6-3, 7-5.Tough semi-finals
Barty fought it out with Amanda Anisimova, who at 17 was the youngest Grand Slam semi-finalist in 12 years. Barty held two set points after just 15 minutes, before the youngster snatched the first set in a tiebreak and moved ahead 3-0 in the second. But Barty rattled off six straight games to level, and then survived a nervy decider to take it 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3. At the same time, Vondrousova’s semi-final task was to snap the dazzling run of No.26 seed Johanna Konta. The Czech came from behind in both sets to win 7-5, 7-6(2). Three weeks short of her 20th birthday, Vondrousova is the first teenager to make the final at Roland-Garros since Ana Ivanovic in 2007Route to the final
Barty got underway by dismissing Jessica Pegula for the loss of six games before beating world No.36 Danielle Collins 7-5, 6-1. In round three the 2014 semi-finalist Andrea Petkovic could muster just four games, but in the last 16, Serena Williams’ conqueror Sofia Kenin became the first opponent to win a set, before Barty whitewashed the decider. Last year’s semi-finalist Madison Keys lost 2 and 4, becoming the fourth of five Americans defeated by Barty this fortnightIn the other half of the draw, unseeded Vondrousova has reached the final without dropping a single set. China’s Yafan Wang denied the Czech seven games in the first round, but Anastasia Potopova – fresh from her own opening round dismissal of No.5 seed Angelique Kerber – collected just four games. Then came the doughty No.28 seed Carla Suarez Navarro, seen off 6-4, 6-4, before Vondrousova steamrollered 11th seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-0, 6-2. In the quarters Petra Martic was a threat, having previously overwhelmed Rome champion Karolina Pliskova; but Vondrousova edged a tough battle 7-6(1), 7-5 to win her first match in five meetings with the Croat
Ashleigh Barty beats Marketa Vondrousova to win title
Australian Ashleigh Barty has
beaten Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova in the French Open final to
win her first Grand Slam singles title and complete a fairytale return
to the sport.
Barty, 23, quit tennis to play professional cricket in 2014, but returned to the sport 17 months later.
Now she is the first Australian to win a singles titles at Roland Garros since Margaret Court in 1973
Barty will climb to second in the world when the latest standings are released next week, making her the highest-ranked Australian woman since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in December 1976
Barty's first Grand Slam singles title comes almost three years to the day since she reappeared in the WTA rankings - at 623rd - after taking more than a year out to switch sports.
The Queenslander retired in 2014 and played for the Brisbane Heat in the women's Big Bash after saying tennis was a "lonely sport".
She decided to return in early 2016 and has since won four tour titles - including the Miami Open in March - as well as the US Open women's doubles title last year.
Barty is the ninth different female champion in the last 10 Grand Slams.
Despite defeat, 38th-ranked Vondrousova will rise into the top 20 for the first time following a clay-court swing where no other female player has won more matches.
Going into the final, the average age of all tournament champions this year was 23.6 years - the youngest since the 2008 season.
The triumph for Barty, who turned 23 in April, means that figure will stay about the same.
| Biggest WTA tournaments in 2019 | Winners & age of champion at time |
|---|
| Australian Open | Naomi Osaka (21) |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | Belinda Bencic (21 ) |
| Indian Wells | Bianca Andreescu (19) |
| Miami Open | Ashleigh Barty (22) |
| Madrid Open | Kiki Bertens (27) |
| Rome Masters | Karolina Pliskova (27) |
| French Open | Ashleigh Barty (23) |
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