JUST two matches played out on the ninth day of tennis action at the WTA 1000 Miami Open event, as the quarter finals began with tantalising clashes that went down to the wire.

The first played out between world number one Ash Barty and seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka, with the former at risk of losing her mantle if she is unsuccessful here, given she is the reigning 2019 champion following last year’s cancellation.

The three-setter was always expected to be a tight affair and it was just that, as Barty broke Sabalenka in the first to take out the first set 6-4 before the Ukrainian bit back in the second with a tiebreaker required to split the two top 10 talents, winning six of the last seven points to win the second set. But whilst the deciding set began closely, Sabalenka could not retain the intensity with upper body pain ailing her, losing the remaining three games and the match as Barty continues to the semi finals.

“It was a brilliant match today,” Barty said post-match in her on-court interview, with this match her first against a fellow top 10 player since pre-COVID. “It was certainly the best level I’ve played for a long time and especially over a sustained period.”

Barty was marginally cleaner and more composed despite Sabalenka’s fightback, hitting six aces for two double faults off a 63.8 per cent clip, compared to Sabalenka’s 12 and seven off a 66 per cent clip. Whilst Sabalenka was more effective off her first serve at 74.2 per cent compared to Barty’s 73.1 per cent, the Australian was more consistent backing up with a 68.4 per cent second serve win rate in comparison to Sabalenka’s 41.2 per cent. Barty also saved all seven of her break points, and converted off two of Sabalenka’s.

“Aryna really made me bring out my best stuff today,” Barty said. “She’s an exceptional competitor and someone who I respect so much on the court. She’s just got the game to make you really uncomfortable so it was about trying to hang in there as best I could today.

“You can’t see me, but there’s a massive smile behind my mask,” Barty said. “It’s always nice to come back somewhere we’re you’ve had good memories. This was one of my favorite weeks in my career a couple of years ago. It’s where I broke into the top 10 for the first time.”

The second match played out between Anastasija Sevastova and Elina Svitolina, with fifth seed Svitolina disposing of her opposition in a much more straightforward 6-3 6-2, one hour and nine minute victory to head to the semi finals. Unseeded Sevastova could not maintain her solid recent form against the Ukrainian who came in with a clear point to prove.

“I’ve always wanted to play well here in Miami. It’s one of the biggest tournaments and playing here is always amazing, so I’m really pleased with the performance tonight,” Svitolina said post-match.

“I practiced with her many times. I played against her so many times. She always tries to build the point, tries to use her spinny forehand slice. She’s a tricky player to play against.

“So I had to really adjust my game to not rush so much, because if you rush against her you can make too many mistakes.”

Hitting 19 winners on her way to victory, Svitolina dominated all the statistical categories on her way to victory, and will have the tough task of taking on Barty at the next hurdle.

“I know Ash for a long time and we’ve played many times before,” Svitolina said. “She’s No.1 and it’s an amazing achievement for her. She’s improved massively in the last three, four years and she’s been at the top of the women’s game. It’s going to be a challenging match, but I’m ready for it.

“I think we are both big fighters. I think when you’re playing a really high-level player, you try to be extremely focused, more focused than anything else, because if you’re playing a big match like that, you’re not giving any free points and you are more on your toes,” Svitolina added.

MIAMI OPEN QUARTER FINALS RESULTS:

[1] Ash Barty (AUS) defeated [7] Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 6-4 6-7 6-3
[5] Elina Svitolina (UKR) defeated Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 6-3 6-2