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By Giri Nathan
[vc_empty_space height="15px"]Ashleigh Barty had just won a title on the hard court at the Miami Open, and was about to embark on an extremely lucrative clay swing, but even then her eyes were set on her favorite blades: “I’m still counting down the days to the grass season, without a doubt.” Anyone with that pure of a serve, slice, and volley would be conducting the same mental countdown. Aside from Naomi Osaka and hard court, at the top of the women’s game, there may not be a more natural pairing of personal style and court surface than Barty and grass; she now enjoys an 81% win rate over her career. The affinity is old, as she won the girls’ title at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old. Which makes it all the more surprising that this fortnight is the world No. 1’s first trip past the tournament’s fourth round as a grown-up. Saturday’s match against Karolina Pliskova, in fact, will mark the first matchup between first-time Wimbledon finalists since 1977. It took a little while—her career has surely had its detours, not least going professional in a completely different sport—but the 25-year-old has now gotten somewhere she has long seemed gifted enough to go.