Ashleigh Barty and Bianca Andreescu face-off for first time in Miami Open final

World No 1 Ashleigh Barty and former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu will go head-to-head for the first time in a mouthwatering Miami Open final on Saturday.

Australian Barty spent the last year at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic and Miami is her first tournament abroad since February 2020. She is also the defending champion at the WTA 1000 event after the 2020 edition was cancelled.

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Andreescu also returned to action after a 15-month injury lay-off at the Australian Open in February, but after playing a follow-up event in Melbourne she had to withdraw from tournaments in Adelaide, Doha and Dubai with a leg issue.

"I haven't played her before, haven't hit with her. It's a fresh one for both of us," Barty, the 2019 French Open winner, told reporters after a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Elina Svitolina.

"Bianca has shown in big tournaments that she's got the ability to beat the very best, and I know from the little that I have seen that she's got a way of moving around the court that's extremely physical."

A slight concern for Barty was the medical timeout between sets to attend to a preexisting abdominal injury.

“Yeah, I was a little bit sore,” she said. “I got some assistance with some tape on it. But knowing we’ve got a day to recover tomorrow, I promise you I’ll be right as rain and then we’ll be good to go.”

The 20-year-old Andreescu needed all of her physical strength on Thursday to beat Greek rival Maria Sakkari 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 in a match that didn't finish until 1.53am local time.

"Sometimes I literally feel like I'm an octopus out there running side to side, I feel like I have eight legs," she said after reaching her first final since the 2019 US Open triumph.

"It's insane. Sometimes I don't even know how I get to some shots. But it's that fighting spirit I have always had in me, never giving up.

"Against her, I had no choice but to run for everything that I could and just fight until the end because that's what she was doing. She was really taking control of the points a lot of the times. It was really tough, I'm not going to lie.

"My whole game plan was to try and do that because I knew she was going to do that, and it could've been either of us winning. I'm just super happy that I pulled through."

Andreescu said she has wanted to play Barty for a long time and was glad to finally have her chance.

"Her being number one and her doing really, really well. Her game style, as well. It's something I have never really experienced," Andreescu said. "I love a challenge, and I know she's going to challenge me on Saturday."