2020 WTA Miami Open fantasy tennis: Barty and Osaka to battle it out in final
GRAND Slam winners, Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka will contest the 2020 WTA Miami Open fantasy tennis final after huge wins over quality opponents in the semi-finals. Barty knocked out third seed and Australian Open champion, Sofia Kenin in straight sets 6-3 6-1, while Osaka obliterated giant-killer, Qiang Wang 6-2 6-0.
Both matches took less than 90 minutes to complete, with Barty the slightly longer of the two in an hour and 26 minutes, while Osaka raced through her match in just 64 minutes. The Australian top seed made her way through to her second successive Miami Open final as the reigning champion after playing some of the best tennis she has all year. While she claimed the title in Adelaide back in January, she was knocked out by Kenin in the semis at Melbourne Park. The world number one reversed the result in this semi-final however, not even giving the talented up-and-coming American a chance of victory.
Osaka was similarly brutal and even more so in many regards, running away with a massive victory over Qiang, who had previously knocked out the likes of 2019 Miami Open finalist and second seed, Karolina Pliskova. While her run to the semis was superb, it just was not the 26th seed’s day, bowing out in a disappointing loss. It allowed Osaka a chance to win her first Miami Open title after bowing out in a shock loss to Hsieh Su-Wei last year in the third round.
In terms of head-to-heads, Barty and Osaka sit at two apiece. The Japanese top 10 knocked off Barty in three sets last year in Beijing, after the Australian had won the previous clash in the Nottingham semi-final back in 2018, a title Barty went on to win. Osaka has only won the five singles titles, but two of those are Grand Slams and a third being Indian Wells. She has only lost two previous finals, both in her home nation. Barty has reached 13 finals, winning eight of them including the 2019 Miami Open, which she hopes to retain this year.
SEMI-FINALS RESULTS:
[1] Ash Barty (AUS) defeated [3] Sofia Kenin (USA) 6-3 6-1
[9] Naomi Osaka (JPN) defeated [26] Qiang Wang (CHN) 6-2 6-0
Defending champ Sabalenka survives scare
WORLD number two Aryna Sabalenka has survived a massive scare from Poland’s Magda Linette, needing three sets and two hours and nine minutes to shake off the determined world number 48. The Belarusian was gunning for a record-equalling third title in Madrid, but admitted her form was not up to scratch compared to her rivals, […]
Rafa rout – Nadal smashes teen in Madrid mauling
IT MIGHT have only been his third tournament of the year and is 21 years his opponent’s senior, but Rafael Nadal wasted no time storming past 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch in the opening round of the 2024 Madrid Open. The greatest clay courter of all time has had a horrid run with injuries and been […]
Osaka eases into Madrid second round
JAPANESE Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka made it through to the second round of the 2024 Madrid Open overnight with a dominant 79-minute win over Belgian lucky loser, Greet Minnen. The former world number one is still returning to the WTA Tour, but gained her first clay court win in two years at the WTA […]
Wildcard Eala upsets former top 30 player in Madrid
SHE might be her nation’s only ranked player, but Phillipines’ Alexandra Eala showed she can punch above her weight with the world number 170 getting the job done against former top 30 player, Lesia Tsurenko, at the Madrid Open. The 18-year-old talent came back from a set down on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium to post a […]
2024 ATP Madrid Open preview
SPANISH star Carlos Alcaraz returns to his home country to defend his 2023 ATP Madrid Open title when the 1000 Masters tournament begins tomorrow. The second seed defeated German Jan-Lennard Struff in the final last season, while this tournament also marks the return of Rafael Nadal back to the event as some of the best […]
2024 WTA Madrid Open preview
CLAY court season is well underway and it is time for another combined 1000 event between the WTA and ATP Tours, with the world’s best players descending on Spain for the Madrid Open. The clay court event features 96 players in the women’s singles draw, with the 32 seeded players receiving a bye in the […]
Aussies among 2024 BJK Cup finalists
AUSTRALIA will contest the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals after the green and gold whitewashed Mexico in the Qualifiers to reach the 16-team event. The Aussies won 4-0 over their Central American opponents in a result that came as no surprise considering the relative ranking difference between the nations. Aside from Arina Rodionova getting […]
Tsitsipas’ triple treat in Monte Carlo
GREEK star Stefanos Tsitsipas has won his third Monte Carlo Masters, getting past fellow clay court talent Casper Ruud in the final. The decider on Court Rainier III lasted 97 minutes, with the 12th seed winning 6-1 6-4 over the eighth seeded Norwegian, adding the 2024 title to his back-to-back 2021-22 trophies. It is an […]
Monte Carlo madness: Top two ousted in semis
CLAY courts can tend to throw up some big results, and that was certainly the case in the semi-final stage of the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters. With the top two in the world, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner heading for a memorable final, many expected the pair to face-off in the decider. The only problem? […]
