No. 1 Ash Barty looks to defend Miami Open title against Bianca Andreescu
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and No. 9 Bianca Andreescu have been longing for the opportunity to play each other in a first-career meeting for quite awhile.
That wait is now over.
The two will show off their immense gifts for the game when they face each other in Saturday’s Miami Open women’s final at the tournament’s Hard Rock Stadium home. Barty is hoping to defend a title for the first-time in her career, while Andreescu is looking for her fourth career trophy.
It’s not surprising that Barty and Andreescu have been eyeing each other. They both became inaugural Grand Slam singles champions near the same time. Barty, 24, scored the French Open in June 2019, while Andreescu, 20, claimed the U.S. Open that September.
“I haven’t played her before, haven’t hit with her,” Barty said. “It’s a fresh one for both of us. But she’s proven time and time again that she loves the big matches, loves the big tournaments and has the game and the physicality to win them.”
Of taking on the Australian, Andreescu said, “Definitely have wanted to play her. I have my chance on Saturday. I know it’s going to be really tough. She’s playing great tennis, and I hope I can be on my A game.”
Bringing her best could be a challenge for the Canadian, who played into the wee hours of Friday morning before upending Maria Sakkari in a third-set tiebreaker to earn her shot at Barty.
Andreescu, who played three-sets in four of her five matches en route to the final, seems made to go the distance. In the 38 matches she played to completion since taking her first career title at Indian Wells in March 2019, 23 have gone three sets, and she has won 20 of those encounters.
“I have a lot of experience in these tough three-setters and digging through and finding a way,” Andreescu said. “Sometimes I literally feel I’m an octopus out there running side to side, I feel like have eight legs.
“But it’s that fighting spirit I have always had in me, never giving up.”
Andreescu, who suffered a knee injury at the October 2019 year-end tournament in Shenzhen, China, hadn’t played again until this year. Miami is her third tournament of the season.
If there’s one advantage Andreescu takes into Saturday it’s an astonishing winning record when playing in North America. Since the beginning of 2019, she’s won 33 of the 34 matches when on the continent.
Be assured, those numbers are not likely to distract Barty, who boasts a current 11-0 match winning streak in Miami, a place where the hot and humid conditions mimic the weather she grew up with back in Brisbane.
Playing for the first time outside of Australia since February 2020, Barty won her 10th career title at the Yarra Valley Classic in February.
While she had a momentary jet-lag wobble in her first-round match when she had to duck a match point, since then she’s played tennis befitting of being No. 1. Barty capably handled No. 8 ranked Aryna Sabalenka and No. 5 Elina Svitolina in her previous two matches ahead of the final.
“The goal for any tournament you play is you always want to give yourself a chance to try and hold the title at the end,” Barty said. “It’s an exciting opportunity now that we’re in another final here in Miami.”