Penne Bolognese, Nice flights: Ngounoue and Bartunkova into SW19 final
Glory-hunting Clervie Ngounoue of the United States will be bidding for an early birthday present when she takes on Czechia’s Nikola Bartunkova for the title of 2023 Wimbledon girls’ champion.
Two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Ngounoue, who turns 17 on Wednesday, surged into her maiden Junior Grand Slam singles final following a commanding 6-0 6-3 victory over Slovakia’s Renata Jamrichova.
Bartunkova, meanwhile, accounted for junior world No. 1 Alina Korneeva – a defeat which ended the 16-year-old's hopes of becoming the first girl in history to win the opening three Junior Grand Slam singles titles of the season.
Tomorrow’s showdown will be a battle of two Billie Jean King Cup Juniors champions, with Bartunkova topping the competition’s podium in 2021 and Ngounoue triumphing with her American teammates last year.
Should Ngounoue prevail, it will be the second year in succession an American girl has conquered all before them at Wimbledon after Liv Hovde lifted silverware here 12 months ago. Ngounoue is playing it cool, for now.
“It is my birthday next week so winning would be a great present,” Ngounoue tells itftennis.com. “But all I can do is my best. It’s God’s plan I guess, and I am just going to try and bring it physically, mentally and emotionally – what happens, happens.
“Everything in life is so fleeting, I am just trying as much as possible to take it one moment at a time, because if I win tomorrow my name will be plastered here and there, but I will still have to get up and train next week.
“As we know, a tennis career is not a straight road and I am accepting of the highs and lows. I am just really trying to trust the process – as hard as that can be sometimes – and take every moment as it comes.
“That said, it feels really good to be in the final and I am really happy. I am going to stay as calm as possible, pray, keep myself centred and try and enjoy every single minute as it comes, good or bad. It is an exciting opportunity for both Nikola and myself."
The final is set to be played on Court No. 12 and Ngounoue will be cheered on by her mother Cicily and younger brother Carel, although there were fleeting concerns over whether they had made their flight from Nice.
“My mum and brother are here which is a real blessing because apparently they nearly missed their flight yesterday,” said Ngounoue. “My brother just sent me a voice note saying they almost missed it, there was no other context. But that it is my mum and brother, I am not surprised.”
Bartunkova, meanwhile, navigated a heavyweight tussle – both players hold a WTA ranking within the Top 350 – with Korneeva 6-4 7-6(2), who will remain as the top-ranked girl on the planet despite her semi-final loss.
Bartunkova now has the chance to become the first Czech player to win the Wimbledon girls’ singles title since Kristyna Pliskova in 2010, although her immediate concern is of a culinary variety.
“I have a lot of superstitions and after every victory I go to the same restaurant here in Wimbledon and have the same food and drink,” Bartunkova tells itftennis.com. “I have Penne Bolognese and apple juice. Now I don’t like Penne Bolognese – I’ve had it too often – but I am winning and need to keep having it.”
Bartunkova revealed yesterday that her presence here at SW19 is two-fold. The teenager wants Wimbledon exposure as preparation for coming here as a pro in future, while the idea of a Junior Grand Slam title on her career CV is highly attractive. Following victory over Korneeva, that ambition has edged closer.
“It is like a dream,” said Bartunkova. “I cannot believe it because before the tournament I had a lot of injuries and because of those injuries I probably did not believe I would get as far as I have. For me now, this is a dream.
“I know Alina well and I know how well she plays. I don’t think I played my best today but think I dealt with the conditions – the wind was very difficult – better than her. For sure, this is my best victory in juniors. I am taking it round by round but it would be really great win tomorrow.”
Game on.