18:56 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty 6-2, 1-3 Angelique Kerber* (* denotes next server)
Kerber hits a backhand into the net, and it follows it up with a forehand that just flies long of the baseline. Kerber challenges the call, but it's overhit by a couple of inches. Barty serves out wide, and Kerber once again fails to return it. Kerber manages to win a point after forcing Barty into mishitting a forehand down the line, but Barty completes the hold with yet another big serve.
18:53 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty* 6-2, 0-3 Angelique Kerber (* denotes next server)
Angelique Kerber is building up a real head of steam here, and if Ashleigh Barty doesn't do something soon, she could find herself in a very difficult position. Barty makes three back to back to back errors on the backhand, before hitting a forehand into the net as Kerber holds to love.
18:50 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty 6-2, 0-2 Angelique Kerber* (* denotes next server)
Angelique Kerber reacts very well to going down by a set, as she ups the ante in her first service game to hold serve. Barty's service game then begins on a poor note for the Australian, as Kerber wrests control of the first few points to go up 0-40. Barty looks vulnerable at the moment, and Kerber has a great chance to break. Barty's serve is good, and Kerber's return flies long of the baseline. Another great serve from Barty, Kerber hits it up into the air and Barty smashes it past the German. Barty then tries a forehand down the line, but it's horribly miscued and Kerber has the early break in the second set!
18:45 (IST)
Set 1: By the numbers!
18:46 (IST)
Set 1: By the numbers!
18:43 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty wins first set 6-2!
Angelique Kerber absolutely blitzes through a service game to hold to love, and now Barty will serve for the set. Barty begins poorly, and she's 0-30 down in the blink of an eye. She's used to this though, and she fights back to take the game to deuce, before winning the set with a lovely ace!
18:37 (IST)
Just a couple of resourceful fans trying their best
18:34 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty 5-1 Angelique Kerber* (* denotes next server)
Error from Kerber, and then Barty makes it 30-0 with a lovely forehand winner. She pushes Kerber wide with the serve, and then whacks her return into the empty side of the court. 40-0. Barty holds to love with a gorgeous, swerving backhand slice! Kerber will serve to stay in the first set.
18:32 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty* 4-2 Angelique Kerber (* denotes next server)
Kerber is in a bit of a difficult situation at the moment, but she is not out of this contest just yet, not by a long shot. She races to a hold, and she'll look to break back soon and bring this first set back on to serve.
18:29 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty 4-1 Angelique Kerber* (* denotes next server)
Barty hits a backhand slice long, and is then pressured into miscuing a forehand by Kerber. Kerber hits a shot into the net, and then Barty does really really well to read Kerber and push her wide, before sending a shot into the empty court. Barty wins the next point, but then double faults to take the game into deuce. Advantage Barty with a really quick ace down the middle, and she holds!
18:24 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty* 3-1 Angelique Kerber (* denotes next server)
Oh my, excellent work from Kerber to win the first point of the game. She draws Barty to the net with a drop shot and then lobs one over the Australian's head. Unforced error apiece from both players, 30-15. Oof, couple of mistakes from Kerber under some serious pressure from Barty, and Barty has a break point. She can't convert though, she hits her forehand long and it's deuce. Great serve from Kerber, and she has advantage, which she converts with an emphatic smash. Kerber holds!
18:19 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty 3-0 Angelique Kerber* (* denotes next server)
Kerber responds to going a break down by turning the aggression up to an 11 and hitting a lovely backhand winner. Barty gets the next point, before Kerber hits another backhand winner at a very acute angle. Lovely well-disguised drop shot from Barty, it completely catches Kerber out. Point apiece, and it's deuce.
Barty hits an inch-perfect forehand down the line before wrapping up the game with a smash, she has a pretty sizeable lead in this sit!
18:15 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty* 2-0 Angelique Kerber (* denotes next server)
Kerber hits a forehand long, but then make up for her mistake immediately with a great serve out wide that Barty fails to return. 15-15. Kerber then hits a backhand wide, there was very little pressure on her there, she probably should have made that shot. 15-30. A point apiece for either player, and Barty has break point!. OH WOW! Barty breaks after managing to anticipate where Kerber's smash would land to hit a thunderous forehand winner.
18:12 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty 1-0 Angelique Kerber* (* denotes next server)
Ashleigh Barty gets us underway with the serve, but it's Angelique Kerber who wins the first point after a double fault. Kerber then hits a forehand return to make it 15-15, before an error from Barty makes it 15-30. Another mistake, and Kerber has two break points. Barty hits a blistering serve down the middle of the court and Kerber cannot return. 30-40. Barty hits an inside out forehand winner and we're on deuce! Great work from Barty to race towards the net and hit a backhand winner. Advantage to the Australian. And she holds after a serve out wide is hit into the net by Kerber!
17:46 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty's path to the semi-final:
17:39 (IST)
Angelique Kerber's path to the semi-final:
17:34 (IST)
Here's how the pair's previous matches have unfolded:
17:29 (IST)
Angelique Kerber and Ashleigh Barty are exactly even on head to head!
17:17 (IST)
Ashleigh Barty sets sights on Angelique Kerber, Karolina Pliskova preps for Aryna Sabalenka in semis
One is motivated by a significant anniversary, another rediscovered the grass is definitely greener for her form, a third is driven on by "brutal" critics and the fourth, the girl with a tiger tattoo, finds herself in unknown Grand Slam territory.
The stage is set for the women's Wimbledon semi-finals on Thursday with three of the contenders new to the experience.
Headline names such as 2019 champion Simona Halep, four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka and seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams are missing but there is the present world number one and two former number ones in the last four.
Ashleigh Barty's clash with Angelique Kerber would be fit for a final, pitching the world number one against the 2018 Wimbledon champion.
Click here to read more of the preview of tonight's matches.
17:04 (IST)
Hello and welcome to our coverage of Wimbledon 2021!
Today's match-ups promise a lot of action, with World No 1 Ashleigh Barty taking on three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber in the first contest of the day, while second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka takes on eighth seed Karolina Pliskova in the following tie. Stay tuned as we bring you all the latest updates, the live score and more!
Preview: In some ways, Ash Barty’s rise to No 1 in the women’s rankings can be traced back to a loss to Angelique Kerber three years ago.
Playing her first final in her native Australia, Barty was beaten in straight sets by Kerber in the 2018 Sydney International — and came away with a new understanding of what it takes to get to the top.
”I remember coming off the court and feeling like my level was close, but it wasn’t good enough,” Barty said. ”That was almost a bit of a reset knowing I’m not far off, but I’m not there yet.”
Now Barty is not far off her first Wimbledon title. But not there yet, as Kerber once again stands in her way in Thursday’s semi-finals.
”I think the challenge of playing her in a semifinal of Wimbledon is an incredible opportunity, one that I’m really excited for,” said Barty, who won her only Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open. ”It’s not scary or overwhelming, it’s just exciting.”
Kerber is the only former women’s champion remaining in the tournament. The other two semi-finalists, No 2 Aryna Sabalenka and Karolina Pliskova, are into the last four for the first time at the All England Club.
The 33-year-old Kerber is only seeded 25th at Wimbledon but seems to have rediscovered her best grass-court form after winning a warmup tournament in Bad Homburg, Germany.
She has a 2-2 career record against Barty, but their last meeting came in 2018 and they have never played on grass. Kerber thinks the fact that her name is already on the Wimbledon trophy could give her an advantage.
“Of course, it’s a good feeling already to have the trophy at home and to (have) won it here,” she said. “Now I’m back. I’m coming after a really tough time. I was not playing good the last few months. Now, winning last week a tournament at home, now playing well here again, that means a lot to me.”
Barty, for her part, has never even had a good look at the Venus Rosewater Dish, as the women's trophy is called.
“I think it’s downstairs in like a case before the court entrance,” Barty said after her quarterfinal win over fellow Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. “I can’t say that I’ve gone up and kind of peered in. Maybe one day I’ll get an opportunity to look at it.”
With inputs from AP.
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