Julia Goerges is excited about her upcoming quarter-final clash with defending champion Petra Kvitova after producing an excellent performance to beat Ashleigh Barty 7-6(6) 6-3 at the Nature Valley Classic.
“I wanted to play Kvitova,” Goerges said. “I had a tough match today, and I knew I would probably face her if I got through this one.”
“I’m happy to play her in my first tournament on grass – I think there’s no better preparation for Eastbourne and Wimbledon.”
The World No.13 continued, “It’s been always a tough challenge playing her, but I think it’s great that I can accept this challenge and put up a big battle, see where I’m at and try to win it.”
Goerges finds a way on grass
The German, 29, has historically struggled on grass despite possessing a game that appears suited to it. Incredibly, she failed to win a match on the surface between 2012 and 2017.
However, Goerges turned her fortunes around in Mallorca last year when she reached the final, and looked assured during her opening round win over Maria Sakkari.
“I’m very pleased with the way I’m playing on grass,” the German said. “Before last year I hadn’t won a match in five years on grass and people were telling me they don’t understand why because I have a good game for it.”
She continued, “So we brought David Prinosil into the team last year to help me understand the grass court game because he was very successful on grass and somehow it clicked.”
“When I was practising in Halle last week, I started really enjoying it and having fun on grass.”
Goerges explained that sometimes it is hard to deal with the unpredictable bounces on grass court, but she is starting to accept that tennis on this surface is like that.
“I got a little bit frustrated in the years before, but now I understand what my weapons are on grass,” the German said. “Last year I figured out the way I want to play on grass and how I can be very dangerous, and now I’m starting to have fun on the grass.”
Goerges hangs tough to beat Barty
A clash with Barty looked like a tough proposition for the fifth seed, and so it proved during a marathon first set that lasted 64 minutes.
Both players served well and the first six games passed without any major incidents. Goerges then broke, only for the Australian to battle her way to an immediate break back.
Barty looked like she would go on and win the first set after that, as she had two set points in each of the German’s next two service games.
However, Goerges saved them all with good serving and explosive hitting to force a tie-break.
In the tie-break, the German slipped 6-3 and again looked poised to lose the set. But she dug deep and won the next five points to go a set up in the most unlikely fashion.
After her great escape, Goerges looked confident in the second set. She only dropped four points on serve and took her first opportunity to break. It proved to be all she needed as she won the set 6-3.
“Somehow I stayed in the first set,” Goerges said. “I was a break up, and then had a lot of game points to go up 5-3 but didn’t make it.”
“Then Barty started to get more confidence on my service games and my first serve percentage started to drop a bit.”
The German continued, “Somehow I managed to save those set points with good play and at the end I was pretty lucky with a net cord.”
“Staying there waiting for your opportunities like I did doesn’t mean you win every set when you are seven set points down, but it gave me a chance and I think it was the key to the match.”
