Aussie Barty tops Kontaveit to reach final
It’s all about achievements for Ashleigh Barty, who ticked off a major career milestone at this Miami Open.
The 12th-seeded Australian, who earned passage into the Miami Open final with a 6-3, 6-3 semifinal win over 21st-seeded Anett Kontaveit of Estonia on Thursday, will make her top-10 WTA ranking debut Monday.
“Bloody good,” said Barty, on Tuesday night, upon learning she will soon be No. 9 in the world. “I think it’s been a goal of mine. That’s no secret. It’s amazing what happens when you put your hopes and dreams out into the universe and do the work.”
Barty started the semifinal slow, falling behind 0-2 to Kontaveit. But she survived two long rain delays to win the match that started at 1 p.m. and finally concluded at 7:32 in the evening.
“It was a very long day,” Barty said. “Obviously, the weather is something we can’t control. It was a horrendous day. It’s hard to gauge these matches, and I’ve been here for 12 hours today. But I’m really happy with how I came back out.”
Barty was quickly identified as a future star at age 15 when she won the Wimbledon girls’ title in 2011. But she openly admitted she was homesick and skipped the Wimbledon Champions’ Ball to catch the first flight home instead.
Her initial journey onto the WTA tour in 2012 turned out to be a struggle. Barty wasn’t ready for the grind of the jet-set lifestyle and the required dedication to the game, So in 2015, she walked away.
She swapped tennis for cricket and scored a contract with the Brisbane Heat, a team in the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League.
The time away helped Barty realize tennis was where she belonged. By the end of 2016 she was back on the court. She’s won three titles since her return and reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at this year’s Australian Open.
On Saturday, Barty will face either second-seeded Simona Halep or fifth-seeded Karolina Pliskova in the hunt for a fourth career title.
ORANGE BOWL TENNIS HALL OF FAME
South Florida native Chris Evert and Miami Open founder Butch Buchholz were the inaugural inductees into the Orange Bowl Tennis Hall of Fame in a ceremony held at the Miami Open on Thursday night.
Evert, an 18-time singles Grand Slam champion and ESPN broadcaster, won the Orange Bowl 16-andunder girls’ titles in 1968, and the 18-and-under titles in 1969 and 1970.
Buchholz, who unveiled the Miami Open in 1985, won the Orange Bowl boys’ 16-and-under trophies in 1954 and ’55.
“I was very honored, and especially to go in with Butch, who has been so influential to South Florida tennis,” said Evert, of the 72-year-old junior event. “The Orange Bowl was like the Wimbledon of junior tennis and it was the most exciting tournament.”