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 <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/tennis/ashleigh-barty-wins-wta-finals-title-to-complete-career-best-season-in-style-1.932616">defending champion at the WTA 1000 event</a> after the 2020 edition was cancelled. 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 <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/tennis/ashleigh-barty-clinches-first-grand-slam-title-after-french-open-final-masterclass-1.872090">2019 French Open winner</a>, 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."