Miami: Because of canceled flights, it took Ash Barty 45 hours to travel from her native Australia to Florida for a tennis tournament.
Her stay at the Miami Open will be longer than that, thanks only to an improbable comeback Thursday.
The top-ranked Barty rallied from a big third-set deficit and overcame a match point to win her opening match against qualifier Kristina Kucova, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
"Matches like that are extremely fulfilling, knowing you've done the work over an extended period to get just over the edge," Barty said. "That was a really tough one today, and I enjoyed every single second of it." Barty, who won the most recent Miami Open title in 2019, trailed 5-2 in the final set. In the next game she faced a match point, which she saved by ripping a weak serve for a winner.
Barty fell behind 0-40 serving in the final game but again rallied against Kucova, a Slovak ranked 149th. Barty closed out the victory with a service winner, and then tapped her temple with her index finger, a gesture of tribute to her mental fortitude.
"We never give up," she said, "no matter what we're feeling."
Playing away from Australia for the first time in more than a year, Barty won despite an unreliable forehand. She whacked 40 unforced errors on that side, but compensated somewhat with 15 aces. Barty acknowledged that jet lag and the time difference between Miami and Australia made the match a challenge.
"You kind of forget how much it can take out of you," she said. "But you have to accept that's the way it is. It worked in my favor this morning I got to watch some Aussie football back home."