Miami Open announces return of defending champion Ashleigh Barty

World number one Ashleigh Barty will look to add a third Miami Open to her growing list of titles when she competes at the WTA 1000 event starting on March 22nd.

The 25 year old Australian Open champion Ashleigh Barty lifted the Miami trophy in 2019 and 2021. The victory in 2019 was her first WTA 1000 title and propelled her into the top 10 of the WTA rankings for the first time. She successfully defended the title in 2021 defeating four players ranked inside the world’s top 15. Barty will look to continue a hugely succesful start to 2022 having won her first Australian Open and third Grand Slam without losing a set.

Barty will face strong opposition as every top 40 player in the WTA singles rankings has entered the Miami tournament. The high quality field is set to include twelve Grand Slam champions including reigning US Open Champion Emma Raducanu and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka. Several former Miami Open champions are also expected to compete including the 2018 champion and winner of last week’s Guadalajara Open, Sloane Stephens.

The stacked entry list includes current Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova plus Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Anett Kontaveit. Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has also been granted a main-draw wildcard for this year’s tournament.

The 96 player tournament will be held from March 22nd – April 3rd.

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