Miami (AFP)
Australian Ashleigh Barty (N.1) fought a fierce and thrilling battle against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (N.7) on Tuesday to advance to the semi-finals of the Miami tournament, where she defends both her title and her place in World No. 1.
The 24-year-old will face Thursday the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (N.5) or the Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, opposed in the early evening.
If she qualifies for the final, she will be sure to stay atop the WTA rankings.
If she fails and Naomi Osaka succeeds her, the Japanese will hit twice.
The latter will already have to win against the Greek Maria Sakkari in their quarter-final on Wednesday, before moving forward.
In the meantime, Barty can congratulate herself for not having given up once again in Florida, where she saved a match point as soon as she entered the running, for her first tournament outside Australia in more than a year since the coronavirus disrupts the course of sporting events around the world.
After her standoff won the day before against another Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka, who led the WTA rankings in 2012, she had even more to face up to Sabalenka, 8th player in the world, who led 3-2 in their previous confrontations and who only lowered their arms after 2h16, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3.
The realism of the Australian prevailed in the first set, since she was able to take the opposing service on her only opportunity to lead 5-4, before concluding on her first set point.
Previously she had to erase three break points against her.
The second set was tougher.
Under pressure four times on her commitment, she still managed to push Sabalenka to reach the decisive game.
But after having managed a mini-break to lead 3-1, his opponent pulled out big blows to turn the situation around and win the round, on a big direct fault from Barty.
- Bautista leaves Isner -
The Australian, however, did not weaken in the third set, first obtaining three break points, all erased at 3-2 to her advantage.
But the Belarusian, visibly suffering from abdominal pain, ended up breaking down by conceding her service at 5-3.
Among men, while waiting for the round of 16 of Russian world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev - who won in the previous round despite painful cramps - against the American Frances Tiafoe, the Spaniard Roberto Bautista and the Italian Jannick Sinner were the first to reach quarters.
The first, seeded N.7, suffered to overcome 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) of the big American server John Isner, winner of the tournament in 2018 and finalist in 2019.
It is a beautiful revenge taken by Bautista on Isner (N.18), who had just beaten him in Miami in 2019, at the quarter-finals stage, in two tie-breaks.
This time, the meeting was again played in the decisive game and the American, author of 23 aces during this fight of 2:18, had a match point at 6-5 on opposing service, without converting it.
The Spaniard got there on his second chance and is now waiting to see if Medvedev Mountain awaits him in the next round.
Sinner (N.21) for his part more easily crossed his turn at the expense of the Finnish Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3, 6-2.
For their first encounter he was very solid and down to earth, converting all four break points he got.
Sinner will face in the next round the Kazakh Alexander Bublik (44th world), who struggled to eliminate the American Taylor Fritz (32nd world) 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4.
© 2021 AFP