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Ashleigh Barty of Australia celebrates with the trophy.
Ashleigh Barty celebrates with the trophy. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Ashleigh Barty celebrates with the trophy. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

Ashleigh Barty beats Karolina Pliskova to win Miami Open title

This article is more than 4 years old
  • 22-year-old is first Australian woman in top 10 since 2013
  • Victory in Florida brings $1.3m prize money

Ashleigh Barty had 15 aces and became the 33rd different player to win a title in as many ATP and WTA tournaments this year when she beat Karolina Pliskova 7-6, 6-3 on Saturday in the final of the Miami Open.

The 22-year-old Australian, seeded 12th, won her fourth title and the biggest of her career. She improved to 18-3 this year and will rise next week to career-high ranking of No9, the first Australian woman since 2013 to reach the top 10 in the world.

Barty won with a dominating serve and wide variety of shots from the baseline, repeatedly extending rallies with scrambling defense. She was broken just once and won 32 of 37 first-serve points.

She became the fifth Miami Open women’s champion in the past five years, and the 14th WTA winner in 2019.

Roger Federer could become tennis’ first repeat champion this year when he plays John Isner in the men’s final on Sunday. Federer won Dubai early this month.

Barty won a 14-stroke rally with a nifty backhand drop shot to go ahead 2-1 in the first-set tiebreaker, and she was ahead the rest of the way. She outlasted Pliskova in a 20-point game to break at the start of the second set, smacked three consecutive aces for a 3-1 lead, and won eight of the final nine points.

The Czech was understandably tired after her semi-final win over Simona Halep finished after 1am on Saturday due to rain delays.

Among Barty's most acrobatic shots was a leaping overhead winner struck while backpedaling in pursuit of a lob. And her serve was superior even though Pliskova is 8in taller at 6ft 1in.

Barty won the Wimbledon girls’ title in 2011 at age 15, but gave up tennis to play professional cricket in Brisbane. She returned to the tour in 2016 and reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final at this year’s Australian Open.

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