Bianca Andreescu is into the final of Miami Open after outlasting the in-form Maria Sakkari in three gripping sets of tennis – 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-6(4).
In a match that lasted two hours and 42 minutes, the Canadian hit 22 winners and capitalised on her Greek opponent producing 52 unforced errors. The marathon encounter didn’t conclude until 01:35am local following on what was a day interrupted by rain delays. It is the first time Andreescu has reached a Tour final since the 2019 US Open.
“I did everything that I could, she was really taking control of the points a lot of times and it was really tough and it could have been either one of us winning so I’m happy I was able to pull through,” The world No.9 said afterwards.
It was the Canadian who got off to the better start and at 2-1 she would earn the first break of the match to take a 3-1 lead but at 4-2 the Greek broke back to put the set back on serve at 4-3.
The first would be decided by a tiebreaker and that was a back and forth affair with the number eight seed taking a 4-2 lead before the world number 25 would win the next two points.
It came down to the Toronto native winning the last two points of the breaker to take it 9-7 to win the first set.
World number 25 Sakkari, who defeated Naomi Osaka earlier in the week, didn’t give in and kept fighting in the second set. She placed pressure on the Canadian but she was able to hold serve and the very next game turned the tables by earning a breakpoint but it was the Greek turn to save it.
It took four cracks for the Canadian to get the first break of the second set and was only able to get it when the world number 25 served a double fault to give her a 2-1 lead.
Again the set was like a roller-coaster and after consolidating the break the number eight seed would give the break up and at 4-3 was broken by the Greek who she served out the second set to take it 6-3.
At 2-2 in the third set once again it was the world number 25 who would earn the first break of the set but was broken when serving for the match at 6-5 and forced another tiebreaker to decide the set and the match.
The breaker was a battle of it’s own with the Canadian earning the crucial break to take a 4-2 lead and Sakkari would save two match points before the Canadian was able to close out the match to book her spot in Saturdays final.
Andreescu will now face the world number one in that final Ash Barty who she has never played or even practices with. In her post match press conference she spoke of what she thought was the turning point of the match.
“It was so up and down, I think 4-3 that’s when I broke her, that was pretty key because if she won that game she would have been 5-3 she would have had more confidence but I think I broke that by breaking her, super up and down but that was the key moment and then being on top of it right from the start in the tiebreaker,” she said.
Andreescu says she is looking forward to the challenge of playing the world number one on Saturday in the final.
“It’s everything, her being number one and her doing really well, her game style as well and that’s something I’ve never really experienced. I love a challenge and I know she is going to challenge me on Saturday so it’s a mixture of everything,” she explained.
The final is scheduled for Saturday at 1:00 pm local time where the Canadian will look to win her second WTA 1000 title.
