Apr 3, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; Bianca Andreescu of Canada (L) congratulates Ashleigh Barty of Australia (R) after retiring due to injury in the women's singles final in the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia successfully defended her Miami Open title Saturday, leading 6-3, 4-0 before Canada’s Bianca Andreescu retired due to an ankle injury.
The top-seeded Barty, 24, captured her 10th career WTA title, including the 2019 Miami Open. The 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barty has won 12 consecutive matches in Miami and is the sixth woman to defend the crown there. She joins Steffi Graf (1987-88, 1994-96), Monica Seles (1990-91), Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (1992-93), Venus Williams (1998-99) and Serena Williams (2002-04, 2007-08, 2013-15).
Barty broke the eighth-seeded Andreescu’s serve twice in each set. She won 78 percent of her first-service points (21 of 27), fired four aces and saved one of the two break points she faced in the 58-minute match.
“It’s never the way you want to finish,” Barty said. “I feel for Bianca because she has had a lot of injuries and I hope it doesn’t hamper her season too much.
“This is the first time I have defended a title and I’m excited we could kick-start a long season in the best possible way.”
Andreescu, 20, was competing in her first final since winning the 2019 U.S. Open. Down 0-3 in the second set, she took a timeout for medical attention after tumbling to the court and appearing to roll her right ankle. She was ultimately unable to continue.
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Andreescu returned from a 16-month layoff in February after suffering a left knee injury at the WTA Finals in China in October 2019.
“I just want to say for me, getting back on my feet wasn’t easy, but I continued to believe in myself and I never gave up,” Andreescu said. “To everyone out there going through a tough time like me now, I just want to say keep your head up and continue to believe in yourself.”
Andreescu had to battle through four three-setters in a row to reach the final. She will climb three spots to No. 6 in the world rankings next week.
This was the first career meeting between Barty and Andreescu.
–Field Level Media