Tennis, Miami: Andreescu retires, triumph for Barty

Ashleigh Barty makes an encore at the Miami Open in tennis.

The world number one in the racket won the final of the tournament in Florida, after her rival, the Canadian Bianca Andreescu (also victim of a fall in the first minutes of play of the second set) raised the white flag when she was under a set and in the second half of the game was on the partial of 0-4.

The final result in favor of Barty was therefore 6-3 4-0.

    The Australian had also won in Miami in 2019, but last year the tournament was not played due to the pandemic.

    The Australian champion thus won her tenth title, the fifth tournament out of 16 played in the WTA top-seeded circuit number 1. And she is the sixth player ever to triumph in two consecutive editions in Miami after Steffi Graf (1987-88, 1994-96), Monica Seles (1990-91), Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario (1992-93), Venus Williams (1998-99) and Serena Williams (2002-04, 2007-08, 2013-15).

"They are true legends of this sport - commented the Australian - it is a great honor to be named together with them in this list. But I feel that I still have a long way to go to reach their level".

    Andreescu did not hide neither the disappointment for the fall in the second game of the second set which then led her to retire nor the pride for the course in Miami.

"It was a great tournament," he said at the press conference.

"I've had many tough matches, my body responded well at least until today. Of course nobody wants to finish a tournament with a retirement in the final. But I'm twenty and I don't want to risk anything."

    With today's victory Ashley Barty is increasingly at the top of the world tennis ranking, and has increased her gap from the Japanese Naomi Osaka, who even left the scene in the quarterfinals in Miami.