I am firmly of the opinion that Naomi Osaka is the number 1 player in the world regardless of what the WTA computer says. Her title runs at the 2020 US Open and 2021 Australian Open are both more recent than Ash Barty’s 2019 French Open title or Bianca Andreescu’s 2019 US Open title for that matter. Still, Ash Barty has played awfully well in Miami. After some tough matches, Barty posted a fairly quick semifinal victory. Andreescu has prevailed in three consecutive three set battles. That could give Barty an edge on energy, but with a day of rest and night matches I do not think conditioning will tell the tale.

Andreescu is a fighter and a shot-maker. Barty is a superb athlete and very mentally steady. This should be a great match because of the flare of one player and the mettle of the other. Andreescu could be a player of destiny in Miami due to her overcoming 3 quality opponents with increasingly small margins of error in each victory. Still, I think the law of large numbers wins out and Andreescu does not win a 4th coin flip match. Ashley Barty’s speed and determination will lead her to a tough 3 set win.

My prediction: Ash Barty d. Bianca Andreescu 3-6, 6-4, 6-2