Ash Barty has won her first Miami Open title, beating Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, and becoming the first Australian woman to crack the world Top 10 rankings since 2013.
[jwplayer bGO1zRES]
Pliskova, who was also competing in her first Miami Open, took an early 3-1 lead, but the 22-year-old Aussie bounced back to claim the set an eventually the match 7-6 (7-1) 6-3.
The win means that Barty’s WTA ranking will jump from #11 to #9 when the results are published tomorrow, making her the first Aussie woman to crack the Top 10 since Sam Stosur.
It’s a Barty Party! 💃
@ashbar96 is all smiles holding that @MiamiOpen trophy 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Jbv4WJqcYl
— wta (@WTA) March 30, 2019
Ash Barty was a junior Wimbledon winner at 15, but quit tennis in 2014 because life on the international touring circuit was taking its toll.
“I wanted to experience life as a normal teenage girl and have some normal experiences,” she said of this period, when she turned to professional cricket instead.
She returned to the sport in 2016, and made a big comeback, finishing 2017 inside the world Top 20 in both singles and doubles rankings.
“It has been a phenomenal two weeks both in singles and doubles,” she said of the Miami Open. “I had to keep it physical, make as many balls as possible and keep my running shoes on.”
