Ashleigh Barty will become the first Australian in 43 years to climb to the top of the WTA singles ranking after she won the Birmingham Classic grasscourt title on Sunday.

The 23-year-old beat Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-3, 7-5 in the final, meaning she will knock Japan’s Naomi Osaka off the summit when the new rankings are released on Monday.

“It’s been the most incredible journey for me and my team,” Barty said on court after a standing ovation from the crowd and a warm hug from her doubles partner Georges.

“You always dream about (being number one) as a little kid but for it to become a reality it’s incredible and not something that was even in my realm, we were aiming for top 10 this year.”