World number one Ash Barty on Saturday retained the WTA Miami Open title after her Canadian opponent Bianca Andreescu retired injured in the second set of the final.
Barty was well in command of the showpiece, leading 6-3 4-0, when Andreescu was forced to end the contest prematurely.
The Canadian had turned her ankle in the second game of the second set. It was not the way Barty would have wanted to retain a title for the first time in her career, but the Australian is now on a 12-match winning streak in Miami.
Moreover, it is now 13 wins from 16 matches against top-10 opponents and six straight for Barty, while she now has 10 WTA titles and two in 2021, a feat she says makes her worthy of her place at the summit of the WTA rankings.
“I never have to prove anything to anyone,” Barty said. “I know all the work that I do with my team behind the scenes. “I know there has been a lot of talk about the ranking, but I didn’t play at all last year and I didn’t improve any of my points whatsoever.
“Yes, I didn’t drop, but I didn’t improve any. I didn’t play any at all. There were girls who had the chance to improve theirs, so I felt like I thoroughly deserve my spot at the top of the rankings.”
