BEVERLY HILLS, April 02, (THEWILL) – The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) top seed in the female category and world number one player Ashleigh Barty battled through injury and the unforgiving heat to a straight sets 6-3 6-3 victory over Elina Svitolina. The victory carries the Australian into the final of the Miami Open in Florida.
Against the Ukrainian, Barty had only previously won one of their six contests, but the 24-year-old Australian displayed no signs of apprehension in their semi-final match. The highest ranked player however acknowledged, in her on-court post-match comments, how difficult it truly was:
“It wasn’t easy today, not by any means. I felt like I wanted to come out here and be aggressive, and I was able to execute it. Elina is an exceptional competitor. She’ll never give you a free point no matter what the score is. I know I have to bring my best and I was able to do that today.”
Barty needed to be attended to by the medics during the match and went off court after the first set for medical treatment. The cause of her discomfort was believed to be an abdominal injury. But she cast her pain aside so that it had no noticeable impact on her game and took about an hour and a half to dispatch Svitolina to progress to the final.
The victory was the Australian’s most impressive performance in Miami. She improved every time she stepped onto the court following her nerve-racking first-up scare when she was very nearly sent packing in the second round after trailing 5-2 and match point down in the third set against Slovak player, Kristina Kucova.
But she grit her teeth and clawed back her way to victory ending the match 6-3 4-6 7-5. Since then, Barty has been a force in Florida. It seemed her game needed that fright to bring out the best of her.
Friday’s triumph allowed the 24-year-old retain her top ranking through to the clay season with the French Open beginning on Monday, May 17. It implies the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion and former top-ranking player Naomi Osaka cannot topple Barty to number one for at least another six weeks after Maria Sakkari knocked her out in the quarter-finals.
To successfully defend the title she won in 2019, Barty will now face either Bianca Andreescu or Maria Sakkari in the final. And, the Australian is looking much forward to the prospect: “I have so many good memories playing here. I’m very grateful to have another opportunity to play for the title.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
