By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday June 7, 2019

 

There will be a first-time major champion crowned on Saturday in Paris as Ash Barty and Marketa Vondrousova are set to battle for the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen.

And then there were two. After battling through rain and gusty winds, Ashleigh Barty and Marketa Vondrousova have come through to their first career Grand Slam finals in Paris. Now it’s time to see which player is ready to take home the hardware and their maiden Grand Slam final.

Here’s a breakdown of the matchup and what’s at stake in the #RG19 women’s final on Saturday at Paris.

Vondrousova v Barty for the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen

Marketa Vondrousova has yet to drop a set in Paris and she will bid to become the first player to win the Roland Garros title without dropping a set since Justine Henin in 2007, but to do so she’ll have to overcome a 0-2 lifetime record against a more experienced player in Barty. The Aussie, who battled past Amanda Anisimova on Friday in three roller coaster sets, defeated Vondrousova at Birmingham in 2017 and at Cincinnati last summer, each time in straight sets.

Their third matchup promises to be much closer. Vondrousova has proven to be a whiz on the clay in 2019, she is tied for the WTA lead in clay-court wins (15-2) and keeps opponents off balance on the surface with a stunning array of weapons and an air or unpredictability.

As far as Barty goes, it does not seem to matter which surface she is on—the Aussie has gone to a different plane with her mental game, and she is able to use her serve and forehand to control the court on all surfaces. With a 30-5 record in 2019 Barty will come in with extreme confidence in her form.

A Maiden Major Title Is at Stake

Since 2016 began, half of the last 14 women’s singles titles at the majors have been won by first-time winners and either Barty or Vondrousova will be the fourth consecutive woman to win her maiden major title at Roland Garros. Garbiñe Muguruza won her first in 2016, followed by Jelena Ostapenko in 2017 and Simona Halep in 2018.

Teenager for the Trophy?

Vondrousova has become the fourth Roland Garros finalist ranked outside the Top 20 in the last 30 years on the women’s side at Roland Garros. And she’ll bid to become the first teenager to win a major title since Maria Sharapova took the U.S. Open title at 19 in 2006.

Vondrousova is the first teenager to reach a Grand Slam final since Caroline Wozniacki (2009 U.S. Open) and she is the first teen in the Roland Garros final since Ana Ivanovic in 2007. The last teenager to win the Roland Garros title was Iva Majoli in 1997. A teenager has never won the Roland Garros title without dropping a set (only twice has a teenager won a Grand Slam women's single title without dropping a set).

Vondrousova a Unique Talent

Johanna Konta summed up what makes Vondrousova special pretty accurately after today’s semi-final with the Czech. Konta, who fell 7-5, 7-6(2) to the 19-year-old, says that Vondrousova reads the game exceptionally well and has a high compete level, among other things.

“I think she reads the game really well, so she would get a lot of balls back,” she said. "With her being a lefty, she has that added variety with the way the ball comes back, is going to be different than 95 percent of the time that we play matches out there.

"Because she reads the game well and I think she generally enjoys playing the game, that's how it feels out there. I think she competes really well, as well. There are very few drop-offs from how she plays. So she's consistently there asking questions. She asks you a lot of questions out there, and I think that's a real gift of hers.”

Expect Variety in this Final

Both Barty and Vondrousova are known for their unique ability to change up patterns of play and work in drop shots and slice into rallies. Both play a style of tennis that routinely disrupts their opponent. Both can do significant damage with their forehands and control points with their serve. Vondrousova adds the lefty element to the game, making her even more tricky. It will be interesting to see how these two disruptive forces shape their tactics against the other

They Said It

Vondrousova, on her excitement level: "It's amazing. I never imagined this. But, yeah, it's the best week of my life so far. I'm just very happy with everything. It's an amazing thing."

Barty, on her fighting spirit: "I'm just proud of myself the way I was able to fight and scrap and hang in there and find a way when I kind of threw away that first set."

Barty on Vondrousova: "I think obviously she has so much variety in her game. She's got the ability to move the ball around the court, moves exceptionally well. So I think for me it's an opportunity to go out there and try and bring it back to my style of tennis as much as possible and know at times it's not going to be in my control what she's able to do with the ball. So I think it will be an exciting final for both of us, something that will be well-fought. Yeah, we look forward to it."

Vondrousova on Barty: "I played her twice, I think once on grass and once on hard. We never play on clay, so it's going to be something new. Of course she's top 10 now and she's playing amazing tennis. She's playing so much like -- she's mixing it also like me, so I think it's going to be interesting match. It's final, and I'm just gonna focus and try to relax."