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World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty moved into the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in her career with a thumping 6-1, 6-3 win over compatriot Ajla Tomljanovic on Tuesday.
Barty, whose previous best result at the Championships was her fourth-round appearance in 2019, will take on 2018 champion Angelique Kerber in the last four on Thursday.
Speaking to the media after her win, the Aussie revealed how she has dreamt of this moment ever since she was a kid. Barty claimed she considers herself "extremely fortunate" to be able to follow her passion.
"This is my dream," Barty said in her post-match press conference. "I'm in an extremely fortunate position that I'm getting to do what I love, getting to do what I dreamt as a kid. So I think I've just got a whole lot of gratitude for the fact that I get to come out here and do what I love."
The World No. 1 struck a total of 23 winners, which dwarfed the five that Tomljanovic could conjure. Barty outplayed the 28-year-old from the baseline and was particularly devastating with her slice.
The top seed pointed out how all the elements of her game came together, which she believes was needed to beat Tomljanovic.
"Today I was able to use my weapons a little bit better and just bring the ball back into my patterns a bit more regularly," Barty said. "I certainly wasn't as loose as I have been with errors and kind of ill-timed lapses, I suppose. But I felt really sharp today. I felt like I knew I needed to bring that level in order to match it with Ajla."
Playing Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon is the ultimate test: Ashleigh Barty
During her on-court interview, Barty heaped praise on Tomljanovic, who is also her Fed Cup teammate for Australia. Barty asserted she had to play her "absolute best" to overcome her compatriot's challenge.
The 2019 Roland Garros champion stressed Tomljanovic has had an "incredible fortnight" at the Championships, making Australians back home extremely proud.
"Ajla is an incredible competitor, I’ve practised with her a lot. I’ve played with her, we’re Fed Cup teammates,” Barty said in an on-court interview. "She was always going to bring out the very best in me. I had to play my absolute best to be able to compete with her. She has had an incredible fortnight. I think all Aussies back home are bloody proud of her."
Barty will next lock horns with former champion Angelique Kerber in the semifinals. Barty reckons playing Kerber at Wimbledon is "the ultimate test."
"It’s the ultimate test [playing Kerber]," Barty said. "Angie has obviously had success here before, and had the best fortnight here possible."
"And I love that matchup, I love playing Angie, she’s an incredible competitor," she added. "She knows her way around this court. I hope that I can play well and give myself a chance, and play a good match."
