Ashleigh Barty overcame a remarkable first-set collapse to defeat 17-year-old Amanda Anisimova and reach her first grand slam final at the French Open.
This match was fitting for what has been a wildly unpredictable women's tournament but ultimately it was Barty who steadied her nerves in time to clinch a 6-7 (4) 6-3 6-3 victory and set up a clash with 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova on Saturday.
Anisimova won just three points in the first five games but turned things around to win six games in a row and then take the set on a tie-break.
First Australian in the Roland-Garros Final since 2010!@ashbar96 is through, 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 over Anisimova. 🎾 https://t.co/mbqjNYN8ej#RG19 pic.twitter.com/e6JpMu9Qtz — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2019
The young American, who had knocked out defending champion Simona Halep in the quarter-finals, then moved into a 3-0 lead in the second set only to lose six games in a row.
The decider was less wild but four consecutive games for Barty from 1-2 put her on the brink of victory and she served it out at the first time of asking, taking her third match point.
Barty took a break from professional tennis as a teenager after finding the pressure too much and spent a spell playing professional cricket, and this is the most remarkable chapter yet in her comeback.
ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Eleanor Crooks, Press Association Sport Tennis Correspondent, Paris');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'e8a3ed70-6d54-4f72-a6d2-a6bb8ecc00be');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:tennis');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Ashleigh Barty fights back to reach French Open final'});
