WTA rankings: The pressure is on Naomi Osaka
After Ashleigh Barty made it to the semi-finals at the WTA Tour 1000 tournament in Miami, one thing was clear: Naomi Osaka had to win the event to get back to first place in the WTA world rankings. And hope for Elina Svitolina.
by tennisnet.com
last edit:
Mar 31, 2021, 08:15 am
Ashleigh Barty is not so easy to take her place in the sun: the Australian shows a great fighting performance in the first quarter-finals of the WTA Tour 1000 tournament in Miami, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. In terms of the battle for the top position in the WTA world rankings, this means that Naomi Osaka has to win the title in Miami. Unless Barty also wins her semifinals against Elina Svitolina. Then she leaves Miami in any case as the leader in the WTA charts.
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Osaka will meet Maria Sakkari this Wednesday (7 p.m. CET, live on DAZN). The Japanese has not lost a game for more than a year, but has also made herself rare or withdrawn from two matches: before the final of the tournament, which was moved from Cincinnati to New York City, and at one of the preparatory events in Melbourne. On the other hand, Osaka took their major three and four at the US Open and most recently at the Australian Open and should have long been at the top of the world rankings. The winning streak is 23 successes in a row.
Barty with the points of Paris
Barty, however, still benefits from the 2,000 points that she has had since the 2019 French Open. The industry leader did not defend its title in the autumn of last year and only returned to the tennis circuit at the beginning of this season.
Should Osaka also take the Sakkari hurdle, the meeting of the last two US Open winners may be waiting in the semifinals: because the resurrected Bianca Andreescu is the favorite in the last quarter-finals of the tournament. The Canadian is up against Sara Sorribes Tormo.
Here the single tableau in Miami