Wimbledon 2021: Ashleigh Barty vs Ajla Tomljanovic preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (1) Ashleigh Barty vs Ajla Tomljanovic

Date: 6 July 2021

Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: London, Great Britain

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Grass

Prize money: £17,066,000

Match timing: Not before 4.30 pm local time, 3.30 pm GMT, 11.30 am EST, 9 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Ashleigh Barty vs Ajla Tomljanovic preview

Ashleigh Barty will take on Ajla Tomljanovic in an all-Australian quarterfinal match on Tuesday. This is the first time since Wimbledon 1980 that two Aussie women will face each other in a Major quarterfinal.

Barty prevailed 6-3, 7-5 in her fourth-round encounter against fellow Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova on Monday. Tomljanovic, meanwhile, overcame a valiant effort from young British wildcard Emma Raducanu, who was forced to retire down 6-4, 3-0 due to medical reasons.

Barty has consistently showcased her mettle as the World No. 1 this year, winning titles in Melbourne, Miami and Stuttgart. But her dominance was halted at the Italian Open, where she withdrew due to an arm injury, and the Aussie further endured a second-round retirement at Roland Garros due to a hip injury.

Barty then took some time off to recover, skipping the entire grasscourt swing leading up to Wimbledon. But she has fared well so far at SW19, losing just one set in her first four matches.

If she remains fit and healthy, Barty is definitely one of the top contenders for the Venus Rosewater dish this year.

Her opponent for Tuesday is long-time friend and Billie Jean King Cup teammate Ajla Tomljanovic. The 28-year-old is making her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance this week, and will be looking to give her all against Barty.

Tomljanovic, however, has managed just three top 10 wins through the course of her career. And after four final losses, she is still on a quest to find her first title.

The WTA tour has been wide open lately, with unheralded names regularly giving close competition to the top players. In such a scenario, Tomljanovic won't shy away from fancying her chances of a deep run at Wimbledon.

Ashleigh Barty vs Ajla Tomljanovic head-to-head

This will be the first meeting between Ashleigh Barty and Ajla Tomljanovic, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Ashleigh Barty vs Ajla Tomljanovic prediction

For the fifth match in a row, Ashleigh Barty faces an unfamiliar challenge. But she has earned commanding victories in all her previous matches, and would be confident of continuing her winning run in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Barty and Ajla Tomljanovic have pretty contrasting game-styles. While Barty boats of variety and an exceptional backhand slice, Tomljanovic relies on her flat and heavy groundstrokes to hurt her opponents.

But the serve is probably the biggest differentiating factor between the two women. Barty got broken just twice in each of her last two matches, and has consistently won close to 70% of first-serve points during her run so far at the All England Club. Tomljanovic, on the other hand, faced a huge number of break points throughout last week.

Against Raducanu, however, the World No. 75 produced a clinical serving performance and didn't get broken even once. She'll be hoping to continue in the same vein when she faces Barty on Tuesday.

It's worth noting that Tomljanovic has not faced a single seed en route to the quarterfinals. In addition, her general lack of experience against top players might play in Barty's favor.

By virtue of the World No. 1's vast ranking advantage and her ability to dictate the longer exchanges, she enters this match as the clear favorite.

Prediction: Ashleigh Barty to win in straight sets.