MATCH POINTS
World No.2 Ashleigh Barty is on a ten-match winning streak, containing her run to her first-ever Grand Slam title in Paris and her three wins here. The Australian will become World No.1 for the first time if she claims the title this week.
Read more: Osaka, Barty, Pliskova top historic Birmingham field with No.1 ranking in play
Barty takes a 2-1 head-to-head lead into her match against Barbora Strycova. Strycova won their first meeting at the 2014 US Open, but Barty has won their last two encounters over the last two years, including a second-round win in Birmingham in 2017, which is their only prior meeting on grass. Barty went on to the Birmingham final that year, where she fell to Petra Kvitova.
Read more: Barty vexes Venus to reach Birmingham semifinals
Strycova has two Birmingham finalist showings on her resume, finishing as runner-up to Ana Ivanovic in 2014 and Madison Keys in 2016. The Czech also reached the semifinals of the event last year, and has compiled a 19-7 win-loss record at the tournament throughout her career.
Read more: Goerges grounds Putintseva to round out Birmingham semis
Julia Goerges and Petra Martic have played only once before, 11 years ago in Portoroz, Slovenia. Goerges won that hardcourt match in three sets.
Read more: ‘I still can’t believe I won this match’: Martic escapes Ostapenko in Birmingham
Goerges has surpassed her previous best Birmingham result, a quarterfinal showing last year, losing to eventual champion Kvitova. Martic, who is coming off of her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal result at Roland Garros, reached the second round of this event last year, in her only prior appearance.
