Ashleigh Barty survived a disastrous first set collapse to win through to her first Grand Slam final at Roland-Garros.
Just 15 minutes into this semi-final, she led 5-0 and held two set points over Amanda Anisimova before the 17-year-old American came roaring back, according to Roland Garros official site.
In a contest of extraordinarily unpredictable ebb-and-flow, Barty then recovered from 3-0 down in the second set to halt Anisimova’s apparently unstoppable momentum.
She clinched victory on her sixth match point to win 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3.
In the final she will face unseeded Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova, who stunned Johanna Konta 7-5, 7-6(2) in the concurrent semi-final on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
Barty's win means her ranking will rise to at least No.3 when the new list is released on Monday; if she lifts the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, she will become the first Australian since Evonne Goolagong Cawley to be as high as No.2.
In the other match, teenager Marketa Vondrousova roared into her first Grand Slam final at Roland-Garros on Friday by defeating Britain’s Johanna Konta 7-5, 7-6(2) in a compelling duel on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
The 19-year-old Czech became the first teenager to make the final here since Ana Ivanovic in 2007 as she came from behind in both sets to prevent Konta becoming the Briton since Sue Barker in 1976 to reach the decider in Paris.
In the final Vondrousova will take on Australia's Ashleigh Barty after the No.8 seed survived American teen sensation Amanda Anisimova in three compelling sets.
In difficult blustery conditions, the assured left-hander kept her nerve better than her more experienced opponent and, though Konta served for both sets, she came through to seal a well-deserved victory in one hour and 45 minutes.
“It was a very tough match today and I’m just happy that I kept my nerve at the end. I’m so happy,” the youngster said on court afterwards following glorious drop shot that sealed the win on match
