- World No 1 wins 6-1, 6-7 (1-7), 6-1 to advance at SW19
- Tributes to Suárez Navarro after last Wimbledon singles match
With her words, Ashleigh Barty honoured her opponent, Carla Suárez Navarro, who was playing in her 11th and final Wimbledon after cancer treatment last year. With her outfit, she paid homage to the kit worn by Evonne Goolagong Crawley, 50 years on from the Australian’s first Wimbledon title. And with every spellbinding winner in the final set, the world No 1 suggested she had recovered from a hip injury that forced her to pull out of the French Open – and could be primed for a long run in the next fortnight.
True, there was a blip in the second set, which Barty lost on a tie-break after serving for the match at 5-4. But given the quality of her opponent, and the pressure of opening her tournament on Centre Court, the Australian was rightly pleased to have come through 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-1.
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