While the tennis world was processing the shock of Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils announcing engagement, Ashleigh Barty of Australia defended her Miami Open title after an incomplete final, as her opponent Bianca Andreescu retired injured in the second set.
In an encounter of two Grand Slam champions, Andreescu fell in the third game of the second set and injured her right ankle. Treatment didn’t help enough and the Canadian retired as Barty was leading 6-3 4-0.
It was Andreescu trainer’s advice to quit:
I really didn’t want to stop, but Abdul, my fitness trainer, he basically saved me from myself because I’ve been through that, continuously pushing myself to the point where I’d make it worse.
This is so unfortunate. After her 2019 WTA Finals debut ended in a heartbreak because of a left knee injury, Andreescu skipped the entire 2020 season. Moreover, her previous appearance at the Miami Open also ended because of an injury, as she was forced to retire in the round of 16 against Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit in 2019.
After a first-round bye, Barty saved a match point against Czech qualifier Kristina Kucova. In the second round the top seed reeled off the last six games to beat No.54 Jelena Ostapenko and afterwards eliminated Victoria Azarenka in three sets, the only former Miami champion left in the draw. In the quarterfinals against seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka, Barty won all 16 service games and then struck seven aces to beat fifth seed Elina Svitolina in the semis.
The 24-year-old Barty is now on a 12-match winning streak in Miami and she will retain her No.1 WTA ranking. Andreescu is projected to rise from No.9 to No.6.
