Ash Barty produced a magnificent display of all-court tennis against against Anglique Kerber to advance to her first Wimbledon singles final.
Barty recovered from 2-5 down in the second set to complete a 6-3 7-6(3) victory, a result seeing her become the first Australian woman since Evonne Goolagong in 1980 to reach a Wimbledon decider.
There she will meet eighth seed Karolina Pliskova, who is also through to her first final at the All England Club after beating Aryna Sabalenka 5-7 6-4 6-4 in a sensational second semifinal.
Barty brilliant against gallant Kerber
Barty shrugged off a double fault on the opening point to jump ahead 3-0, with passing-shot, forehand and drop shot winners showcasing her varied arsenal.
A rise in intensity from Kerber helped the German onto the board in the fourth game but Barty was playing beautifully, holding to love with an exquisite backhand slice winner for a 5-2 lead, and pocketing the first set two games later.
The 2018 Wimbledon champion responded strongly in the second set, increasing the power behind her shots and rousing the crowd with athletic defence and passionate celebrations.
Two powerful forehands in a row helped Kerber to a 5-2 lead – before Barty reeled her in.
She broke at love when Kerber served for the set at 5-3, and held at love to level the set, part of a run of 11 straight points for the Aussie.
And Barty would win another 10 points in a row to take a 6-0 lead in the subsequent tiebreak, the last two of those with a forehand winner and an ace.
Kerber saved the first three match points with her trademark fighting qualities, but it proved a gap too large to close.
Pliskova overcomes Sabalenka in high-quality clash
No.2 seed Sabalenka had won two previous encounters against Pliskova, but both were taut three-sets affairs.
It was again an evenly-matched contest at Centre Court on Thursday.
Sabalenka opened the match with a resounding service hold at love – helped by two aces – and from there the first set progressed on serve until the 11th game, when Pliskova threatened to break as she moved ahead 0-40.
In a serving masterclass, Sabalenka found both aces and unreturnable serves when she needed them most, escaping with a hold for 6-5 and taking the first set when Pliskova double-faulted.
She finished the set having saved all eight break points she faced.
Undeterred, Pliskova was sublime in a second-set showcase of first-strike tennis, during which the two women combined for 27 winners against nine unforced errors and enthralled the crowd with their power.
The Czech was superior on return, breaking Sabalenka in the fifth game of the second set, and again in the opening game of the third.
Crucially, they were the only breaks for either player in each set.
Maintaining her ascendancy thanks to excellent serving, Pliskova stepped up to the line and closed out the contest with her 14th ace.
Stat of the day
Barty was exemplary in all areas of her game on Thursday, dropping just five points on serve and finishing the match with 38 winners to just 16 unforced errors.
She now stands just one victory away from achieving a career dream, 10 years after her girls' singles triumph at the All England Club, and on the 50th anniversary of Goolagong's first Wimbledon victory in 1971.
Poetically, she is wearing a dress paying tribute to the outfit Goolagong wore during her triumphant fortnight in 1971.
Tweet of the day
Congratulations @ashbarty - thrilled for your success. Best wishes for Saturday. ?
— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) July 8, 2021
Quotes of the day
"I think this is close to as good a tennis match as I will ever play. Angie definitely brought the best out in me today and it was a hell of a match right from the first ball. And I knew it was going to have to be that good, just to compete with her. I'm incredibly proud of myself and my team, and now we get a chance on Saturday to try and live out a childhood dream."
- Ash Barty
"Sounds amazing of course, because until now I didn't pass the fourth round, and I'm in the final, so I think it's incredible achievement. I think it was an amazing match today from both of us. Super happy how I managed to stay in there and find a way to win."
- Karolina Pliskova, when asked on court for her reaction to producing a career-best showing at Wimbledon.
“(I was smiling to myself thinking) that I really came back after such a long time, that I was able to turn around everything, that I won the tournament at home in Germany, that I played here unbelievable tennis, that I put so many emotions and my heart on court. If you go out and you have the standing ovation at the Centre Court in Wimbledon, I mean, that's the best feeling you can have even you lost. I tried everything. I put everything on court today. Ash is a great opponent. She deserved to win today.”
- Angelique Kerber, whose 10-match winning streak ended in the semifinals.
Day 11: Ones to watch
Men's semifinal day at Wimbledon on Friday begins with a clash between Matteo Berrettini and Hubert Hurkacz.
Queen's champion Berrettini, appearing in his second major semifinal, takes a 10-match winning streak into his meeting with the Pole, who finds himself at the semifinal stage at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
ORDER OF PLAY: Wimbledon Day 11
So too does Denis Shapovalov, the Canadian who faces the toughest test in tennis when he comes up against world No.1 Novak Djokovic in the second semifinal on Centre Court.
Djokovic has won his past 16 matches and continues his march toward a third straight major title in 2021 and record-equalling 20th Grand Slam trophy overall.