"As cliche as it is: Ajla Tomljanovic reveals secret behind heroics in Birmingham Classic after cementing final berth

Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic has revealed the secret behind her success in the ongoing Birmingham Classic. The competition, which is considered a perfect opportunity to prepare for the third Grand Slam of the year—Wimbledon—is ending on Sunday. Wimbledon 2024 will begin on July 1st when players from all over the world will showcase their talent and battle to secure the ultimate prize.

The grand finale of the Birmingham Open will be between Australia’s Tomljanovic and Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva. The Zagreb-born star defeated Anastasia Potapova in the semifinal in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-4.

On the other hand, Putintseva defeated Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. She was supremely dominant throughout the match, converting six break points, four more than her opponent. She also produced four aces, three more than Cocciaretto.

Tomljanovic, while talking to the media after the match, revealed the secret behind reaching a final of an event for the first time in five years. The 31-year-old stated that she tried to control the controllables instead of worrying about every single point.

"I just tried to keep a cool head,” said the current 190th-ranked player in WTA. I felt like I was a bit too into it at the beginning, and I felt like I was losing a lot of energy just caring about every single point. I just tried to let go whatever happened, and focus on what I can control. I definitely didn't expect to play a final here. I really take it one match at a time, as cliche as it is. Whenever I've done well, I've never looked ahead, and I'm not going to do it now either.”

It will be the sixth meeting between the two players. In the previous five meetings, Putintseva had a clear edge as she won on four occasions and suffered just one defeat. Their most recent meeting was in the BNP Paribas Tennis Championship quarterfinal in Istanbul, where Putintseva came out on top with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. Interestingly, none of the previous meetings between Tomljanovic and the Mosconw-born star was on a grass court.