Wimbledon: Ashleigh Barty clinches maiden title, Samir Banerjee reaches boys' final

The 25-year-old won her second career Grand Slam crown.

World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty defeated Karolina Pliskova to win the women’s singles final of Wimbledon 2021. Barty won a rollercoaster contest 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 to claim her maiden Wimbledon title.

Pliskova was aiming to clinch her first Grand Slam title. On the other hand, Ashleigh Barty was coming into the contest as the favourite after a fantastic showing in the tournament so far. The Australian seized on her opponent's nerves early on. The All England Club’s Centre Court crowd included the likes of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Tom Cruise and many other eminent personalities.

However, Barty relished the occasion. She sealed the first set with a love hold. There were five breaks in the opening set, with Ashleigh Barty hitting 12 winners to Pliskova’s two.

Pliskova began to play more fluidly in the second set. A series of service points and some powerful smashes allowed her to take the second set to a tiebreaker. The Czech managed to hold her nerves and take the final to a decider.

In the third and final set, the Australian tennis star was back to her very best. She regained her composure and began to hit her regular forehands. Barty began to show why she is truly the World No. 1. This is the 25-year-old's second Grand Slam title, following her French Open victory in 2019. In doing so, Barty also became the fourth woman in the Open Era to win singles titles in both the Girls' and Ladies' Draw at Wimbledon.

Indian connection storms into final

Indian-American Samir Banerjee from New Jersey stormed into the Wimbledon boys' singles final on Saturday. He continued his giant-killing run by beating Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg of France 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 to make it through. Banerjee won a nervy first set, before Wayenburg came back strongly to win the second set.

However, Banerjee displayed his superb form by going onto clinch the third set and making it through to the final. He will be facing Victor Lilov for the Wimbledon 2021 boys' singles title. The 17-year-old had also made it through to the semi-finals of the boys' doubles event, with his partner Kokoro Isomura of Japan.

Cicak to create history

The All England Club confirmed that Marija Cicak from Croatia will officiate Sunday's men's singles final between Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini.

Therefore, Cicak will make history as she will become the first woman to umpire a Wimbledon men's singles final. She had officiated at the 2014 Wimbledon women's singles final between Petra Kvitova and Eugenie Bouchard. She was also in charge of the 2017 women's doubles final.

The Zagreb native has bags of experience, having worked at 15 successive Wimbledon tournaments. The 43-year-old has also worked at the Olympic Games in Athens 2004, London 2012 and Rio 2016, umpiring the women's singles final five years ago.

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