In a battle of Aussies on the other side of the globe, top-ranked Aussie #AshleighBarty defeated the experienced #SamanthaStosur in the third round of the 2019 #MiamiOpen. In a battle between youth and experience, it was youth which prevailed as the world number 11 continued her pursuit for a top-10 debut.
Barty triumphed with a straightforward 6-0, 6-3 scoreline after just 58 minutes of action. Losing just six points behind her first serves, Barty also defended 59 percent of her second serve points in addition to serving a total of eight aces. Stosur was unable to perform her best tennis against her younger compatriot, winning just three points on her second serve throughout the entire match and serving six double-faults in the process.
It was a good run for Stosur, who claimed good wins over Evgeniya Rodina and 17th seed Madison Keys. The win over Keys was Stosur’s first victory over a top-20 player since October 2017, and she is projected to rise to the 73rd spot in the rankings, having jumped a total of 10 spots.
With Serena Williams’ unfortunate withdrawal, Barty is once again one win away from cracking the top-10 after multiple tries. She will next face world number eight Kiki Bertens in the fourth round, fighting for a place in the quarterfinals.
Barty sails through the opening set
Barty was clinical to start the match with — zooming past her experienced opponent as she claimed eight of the first nine points to grab the early break. She was then entangled in a deuce service game but did well to serve her way out of danger to consolidate her advantage for a commanding 3-0 lead.
A series of unforced errors saw Stosur get broken on yet another occasion. Barty just could not miss a shot as the world number 11 eased through her service games with Stosur unable to put up any sort of resistance.
Serving to stay in the set to prevent a bagel, Stosur threw in an unfortunate double-fault on set point, allowing Barty to run away with the first set after 22 minutes of action.
Barty overcomes a late wobble to triumph
Another love service hold followed for Barty to start the second set with. Stosur found herself in some deep trouble when she faced multiple break points in the following game, but a run of four straight points finally allowed the 2011 US Open champion to find her footing and get onto the scoreboard.
However, that turned out to be the only game Stosur would win in a long period of time. Barty was merciless against her fellow countrywoman, who was 12 years her senior. Stosur’s groundstrokes were not working at all, with her backhand slices coming up short against those of Barty’s.
Serving for the match at 6-0, 5-1, Barty owned two match points on serve but she blinked at the sight of the finishing line. The world number 11 served a double-fault on her first match point, then on break point as Stosur found herself a lifeline, though barely. Another near escape saw Stosur retrieving from a 0-30 deficit to hold serve without facing a break point for the first time in the match, minimizing the deficit to just two games.
Nonetheless, on her second opportunity to seal the win, Barty dutifully took her chances and fired a forehand winner which clipped the baseline to grab the terrific 6-0, 6-3 win after 58 minutes of play.
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