Defending champion Ash Barty enters the final of Miami Open

Barty eases past Elina Svitolina in semifinals and is in touching distance of retaining her Miami title

Ashleigh Barty in a file; Credit: Ashleigh Barty Twitter
By Karthik Raman | Apr 2, 2021 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The World No.1 Ash Barty registered a straight-sets victory over Elina Svitolina to reach her second straight Miami Open final. In a game that lasted less than 90 minutes, the Australian won 6-3, 6-3. Barty has come a long way from saving a match point against qualifier Kristina Kucova in the opening round to be in touching distance of lifting the trophy again. Since the first-round jitters, she has enjoyed a fine run in Miami, registering victories over Jelena Ostapenko, Victoria Azarenka, and World No.8 Aryna Sabalenka.

Going into the semifinal, Barty was trailing the head-to-head 1-5 with Svitolina. But in Miami, she had little difficulty in overcoming the Ukrainian in straight-sets. On facing Svitolina, Barty said, “Over time I think I’ve built more trust in myself that I can try and come out here and play my game, and that’s good enough to compete with her.”

Barty is the defending champion in Miami, having won the tournament in 2019. The 2020 edition of Miami Open was cancelled owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Giving further insights into her strategy, she added, “I thought I played a really good match today. I felt like I wanted to come out here and be aggressive, and I was able to execute – it’s a bit of a fine line sometimes, but certainly happy with how today went.”

The Australian star went on to reminisce about her happy memories from this tournament in the past. “It’s obviously a tournament I have so many good memories playing here and to now be in the last match of the tournament, I’m very grateful that I get another opportunity to come and play for a title,” she was quoted by ausopen.com.





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