Amid the unpredictable swirl of this year’s tennis results, with 33 different champions in 33 tournaments, Ashleigh Barty provides a change of pace.
The crafty Australian mixes backhand slices and drop shots with a deceptively strong serve and a knack for attacking, which is how she won the Miami Open.
Barty had a career-high 15 aces and became the latest 2019 title winner on the WTA circuit by beating Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 on Saturday.
That means there still has not been a repeat champion this year among the men or women.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Barty said.
“On the women’s side, I think the level has evened out a lot, and the depth has grown over the last few years.
“Everyone in the draw has a legitimate chance of winning the tournament, and you try to make the most of it.”
In Miami, Barty did.
She won her fourth tennis title and the biggest of her career to improve to 18-3 this year.
At age 22, she’ll rise next week to a career-high ranking of world No.9.
Barty became the fifth different Miami Open women’s champion in the past five years, and she’s the 14th different WTA titlist this year.
Barty’s large repertoire of shots is both entertaining and effective, and she kept a weary Pliskova off balance while finding the open court for 41 winners.
“I’ve always tried to bring as much variety to the court as possible,” Barty said.
“It’s about trying to neutralise what your opponent is doing.
“There was a phase in women’s tennis of big power and first strikers but physicality in tennis has grown, which has allowed more players to neutralise the big first ball and work their way into the point.”
Barty won the Wimbledon girls’ title in 2011 at age 15 but gave up tennis to play professional cricket before returning to the tour in 2016.
This year she lost in the final at Sydney, a moment she listed as the most painful in her career.
Less than three weeks later she reached her first grand slam quarter-final at the Australian Open.
“That’s why I love the sport,” Barty said.
“You have these amazing moments, and you have these heartbreaking moments.
“But the journey in the middle is pretty bloody good.”
