When world No.1 Ashleigh Barty and former No.1 Karolina Pliskova were pitted on opposing halves on the eve of The Championships for 2021, for one it continued a battle of the body, for the other an ongoing battle of the mind.
There was uncertainty aplenty whether either would even be around to see in the second week, let alone fighting for the Venus Rosewater Dish.
Barty was forced out of Roland-Garros only a month before, while Pliskova had lost three of her past four matches to drop out of the top 10 for the first time in almost five years.
Some two weeks later, both are still standing with one set to leave London as a Wimbledon champion. If past showdowns are anything to go by, this contrast of styles makes for an enticing afternoon.
Pliskova is at her devastating best when able to dictate from her hitting zone so she is all about taking control from the off with big first-strike tennis.
The 29-year-old thrives on rhythm and Barty loves nothing more than taking that away from an opponent, unafraid to chip returns to neutralise power before unleashing when the opportunity arises.
Pliskova’s coach Sascha Bajin expected Barty would employ her exceptional court craft to manoevre his 6’1” charge around.
“Especially on grass, her slice is very effective,” Bajin said of Barty. “She has good volleys. She has this very good transitioning from baseline to volleys, which makes her very dangerous. She knows how to approach and cover the court.”
“It's going to be tough because she puts a lot of variety in. The ball, obviously after the slice, it doesn't bounce as high as it is on hard court, making the slice here way more effective.”
It's going to be tough because she puts a lot of variety in. Especially on grass, her slice is very effective
As two of the most effective on serve throughout the Fortnight, it comes as little surprise that first delivery is critical for both women.
Pliskova has hit an event-leading 54 aces, eight more than her opponent and has only been broken four times to Barty’s 11.
Barty is sure to threaten these lofty figures, however, having won an event-leading 45 per cent of return games to her opponent’s 35 per cent, however the Czech could make huge inroads on the Australian’s second serve, of which only 18 per cent had gone unreturned all tournament.
Her and Ash have had some battles, particularly on grass. Whenever you play her, you know it's going to be difficult
It is nine years since the pair first squared off in a $50,000 ITF event on grass in Nottingham, when a 16-year-old Barty narrowly edged the 20-year-old Czech in a third-set tie-break on her way to the title.
Four years later, the pair clashed in their first Tour-level match, also in Nottingham, which went the way of Pliskova in two tie-break sets in what was the Australian’s first WTA event back after her sabbatical from the sport to play cricket.
The ledger now reads 4-2 in Barty’s favour, but in their last two meetings she was forced to recover from a set down, including the Stuttgart quarter-finals in April, when Pliskova failed to serve out the match.
“She's an incredible player. I mean, she's got a phenomenal serve, got a big game off the ground as well,” Barty’s coach Craig Tyzzer said of Pliskova. “Her and Ash have had some battles, particularly on grass… Whenever you play her, you know it's going to be difficult. You know she's going to serve big, you know she's going to hit big shots. You’ve got to be able to be ready for that, hang in there and handle it.”
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