Ash Barty is back in Miami: ‘Best level I’ve played for a long time’

Ash Barty has stormed into the semi-finals of the Miami Masters after a 6-4 6-7 6-3 win against Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday morning (AEDT).

Barty was imperious on serve all match and, apart from a hiccup in the second tie-breaker when she failed to finish off the set despite serving with a 5-4 lead, is beginning to look like the player who charged to the world number one ranking again.

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“That was certainly the best level I’ve played for a long time and certainly for a sustained period,” Barty said post-match.

“I really had to look after my service games and I did that really well today. Then I needed to be as aggressive as I could inside the court.”

Barty needed to reach the final four in Miami to give herself the best chance of retaining top spot in the rankings ahead of the clay court season.

She will face either Elina Svitolina or Anastasija Sevastova for a place in the final as she looks to defend the crown she won when this tournament was last played in 2019.

Ash Barty is back. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images

If Barty makes the final, Osaka will remain second in the standings.

The 2021 Australian Open winner is looming large on the other side of the draw but first has to negotiate a quarterfinal against Maria Sakkari and then a likely semi-final against Bianca Andreescu — who is showing glimpses of the form which saw her win the 2019 US Open.

Barty won all seven break points she faced on her serve and won the final 12 points of the match as Sabalenka fell apart at the finish.

The Australian’s error count was less than half her big-hitting opponent’s (22 to 47) and she again proved her mettle in matches that go the distance.

Barty has now won 18 of her past 21 matches that have extended to a third set and taken her winning streak in Miami to 10 matches.

She’s turned around her tournament after surviving a major scare in her first match since the Australian summer, narrowly avoiding a third consecutive defeat that would have seen her hold on the world number one ranking loosen drastically.

There was high drama in the Aussie star’s round of 64 match against world number 149 Kristina Kucova at the Miami Open as she fought back for a 6-3 4-6 7-5 victory.

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