Wimbledon: Barty, Pliskova set for final clash

World number one Ashleigh Barty will play Czech eighth seed Karolina Pliskova in Saturday’s Wimbledon final.

Australian Barty beat former champion Angelique Kerber 6-3 7-6 (7-3) before Pliskova came from a set down to defeat Aryna Sabalenka 5-7 6-4 6-4.

It will be a first final at the All England Club for both Barty, 25, and 29-year-old Pliskova.

Barty has the upper hand on Pliskova in their previous meetings, winning five of seven.

In the most recent of those, in the Stuttgart quarter-finals earlier this year, Barty came from a set down to win in three.

It is Pliskova’s second Grand Slam final, having finished as runner-up at the US Open in 2016, while 2019 French Open champion Barty is chasing her second major title.

It is the first Wimbledon women’s singles final featuring two first-time SW19 finalists since 1977 when Britain’s Virginia Wade beat Dutchwoman Betty Stove.