After Andreescu withdrew from the Miami final, Barty takes her 10th WTA title

ashleigh barty miami
Ashleigh Barty after winning the tournament in Miami

Four days ago, one of the most prominent American tournaments of the WTA 1000 series ended (for men – the Masters series) – Miami Open, held from March 23 to April 4 on the open hard courts of Miami, USA. The tournament’s prize fund amounted to more than $ 3 million, and 96 participants in both women’s singles and men’s singles took part in it.

In the women’s final, two tennis players faced off: reigning world number one Ashleigh Barty and Canada’s Bianca Andreescu. What was this match’s outcome, and who was the best on the courts in Miami this year?

Barty took her second title of the season, while Andreescu had to withdraw from the final due to an ankle problem

World number one Ashleigh Barty defended her title in Miami and beat Bianca Andreescu 6-3, 4-0 in the final – her opponent had to withdraw in the second set due to an ankle problem. The Australian is second after Daria Kasatkina to win two titles this season – the first was in Melbourne. It’s her 10th WTA title in total.

Barty was the first after Serena Williams in 2015 to win a tournament in Miami, leading the seeding. She’s the sixth who managed to defend the title in Miami.

We remind you that in the second round, Barty scored a match point against Kristina Kucova.

She has 13 wins in her last 16 matches against top-10 opponents.

The Australian will stay at the top of the table for at least another month before Madrid’s tournament on May 3.

And now a little bit about Barty’s final match opponent. Canadian Bianca Andreescu withdrew from this match with a score of 6:3, 4:0 in the Australian’s favor due to problems with her right ankle. Andreescu turned her foot, losing 0:2 in the second set, and even in the course of the game, she called the doctor.

Bianca Andreescu calls a doctor because of ankle pain

Bianca Andreescu calls a doctor because of ankle pain

The Canadian withdrew for the ninth time in her career (she was 11th overall in the tournament). Andreescu returned to the tour this year after suffering a knee injury that kept her out of action all last season. She played two tournaments at the beginning of 2021 – Australian Open and Melbourne Phillip Island Trophy for the eliminated Grand Slam – and then withdrew from three.

Miami was her first tournament since Melbourne.

However, despite the loss, Andreescu rose from ninth place in the world rankings to sixth after the Miami tournament.

Bianca Andreescu about her injury:

“I didn’t want to withdraw, but my coach saved me from myself”

In her little interview after the final, Bianca Andreescu admitted she wanted to keep fighting but was stopped by her team, which forced her to miss the final of the Miami tournament due to a problem with her right ankle.

“I didn’t want to withdraw, but Abdul – my fitness coach – saved me from myself because I was constantly pushing myself to the point where I could get worse. He saved me from myself. I told him I didn’t want to take off, but I trusted him and knew it was the best decision,”

the athlete shared.

The Canadian also revealed she only wants to look forward to her career. She’s only 20 and doesn’t want to take risks like she already did a couple of years ago. She won’t make the same mistake. Andreescu is proud of this decision. She noted it’s difficult to break her now, but she has had to work hard to do so.

“I will visualise the recovery process. I will work on what I have learnt from this tournament,”

Bianca added.

Apart from that, Andreescu also shared the emotion she got from the match, regardless of how it ended.

“It wasn’t easy for me to get back on my feet, but I kept believing in myself and never gave up. So I just want to say to everyone who is going through a difficult time like me: don’t despair and keep believing in yourself,”

Andreescu said at the award ceremony.

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