SportPosted at: Apr 2 2021 4:05PM

Miami Open: Ash Barty & Bianca Andreescu reach final

Miami (Florida), Apr 2 (UNI) World number one Ash Barty and former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu cruised into the Miami Open final after registering contrasting semi-final victories, here.

The Grand Slam winners - Barty and Andreescu will now face each other in a mouth-watering final on Saturday.

Top-seeded Barty of Australia reached the final with a 6-3, 6-3 win over fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in an 89 minute semifinal clash on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Andreescu, the No 8 seed had a far tougher time against No 23 seed Maria Sakkari, needing nearly three hours to close out a 7-6 (7), 3-6, 7-6 (4) result and advance to final.

"Bianca has shown in big tournaments that she's got the ability to beat the very best, and I know from the little that I have seen that she's got a way of moving around the court that's extremely physical,' said Barty.

On the other hand, Andreescu said she has wanted to play Barty for a long time and was glad to finally have her chance.

"Her being number one and her doing really, really well. Her game style, as well. It's something I have never really experienced. I love a challenge, and I know she's going to challenge me on Saturday,' she said.

This will be Barty’s second final of the year after winning the Yarra Valley Classic tournament in February.

More than 18 months after she won the title at the 2019 US Open, Andreescu will again play for a trophy.

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