
I didn't expect this in my second tournament after my comeback.
When asked how she rated her chances of a third Wimbledon title, she insisted: 'I've just played one match in three sets. In the victory, Barty won 69 percent of her first serve points and 57 percent of her second serve points.
She served out for the title in emphatic fashion - to love and ending with an ace - and celebrated in her typical understated style, with a broad smile.
Barty won her first 11 points on serve, and conceded only one point in her first four service games.
The two-time Wimbledon champion sustained serious hand injuries when an intruder broke into her apartment and attacked her last December.
"Congratulations to Petra. You are an inspiration, a champion, we love you, we missed you and it is wonderful to have you back on court", said Barty.
That was all she could do, despite having a 4-0 lead in game 5 that could send her in front.
And, to cap off an incredible tournament for Barty, she will partner Casey Dellacqua in the doubles final against Hao-ching and Chan Shuai Zhang.
But on Friday was Kvitova's turn to receive the applause, as she revealed that many parts of her incisive grass court game are in working order and that many things may still be possible despite enduring problems with the injured hand.
Muguruza next plays Barty, who was leading Giorgi 5-2 when she became the second injury retirement on the day.
The Spaniard, runner-up at Wimbledon in 2015, comfortably took the opening set before Barty, ranked at number 77 in the world, rallied to force a decider. She backed it up with a well-played game on return, in which two aggressive returns gave her a break point first and the break right away.
Mladenovic, 24, has made major improvements since their Fed Cup encounter, winning her maiden WTA title at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy and reaching back-to-back finals at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and the Madrid Open en route to a career-high ranking of No. 12. "I wish I could have more - I won't be sad if it is in a couple of weeks [at Wimbledon] but there is still a lot of work to be done", she said.
From the start Kvitova's serving was nearly always rock solid, finding the lines and the angles but with Safarova struggling to push off a heavily strapped leg there would have always been one victor. So I think that's important.
But she too double-faulted, repairing some of the damage with a brilliant passing shot which saved match point on Kvitova's serve at 6-4.
'I played unbelievably well. I made two double faults, and it's hard to play on grass when you have that in the mind.
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