MIAMI: Ashleigh Barty insisted she is a worthy world number one on Saturday after defeating Bianca Andreescu to retain her Miami Open crown.
The 24-year-old Australian star served notice of her determination to be a force this season with a 6-3, 4-0 victory as Andreescu retired with a foot injury in the second set.
Barty — who had already been assured of holding on to her No.1 ranking before Saturday’s final — has faced sniping from some players over her continued presence at top spot.
The Queenslander has benefited from a tweak into the way rankings are calculated which takes into account the disruption caused by last year’s pandemic shutdown.
However, Barty shrugged off the criticism on Saturday…
