'Never give up': Ash Barty claws back and beats Kristina Kucova at Miami Open

Australian ace Ashleigh Barty clawed her way back at the Miami Open after staring down a match point against Kristina Kucova on Thursday. The World No. 1 defeated Kucova 6-3 4-6 7-5 victory in the Australian's first match outside her home country in more than a year.

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Barty was off to a great start, however, she lost the second set and was down to 5-2 in the third and was nearing an early exit in the Miami Open. However, the world number one bounced back and snatched a win at Hard Rock Stadium.

"My first bubble win," Barty said of the tournament, where a limited number of fans are allowed on the grounds.

"It is nice to be back on tour. It is nice to come back to a place here to Miami where we have had such good memories," said Barty, who won the event in 2019.

"It's a beautiful place to play tennis."

Barty enjoyed her match against Slovak's Kucova.

"Matches like that are extremely fulfilling," she said.

"Knowing that you have done the work over an extended period to get over the edge and get the result that you're after."

"No matter what the result, no matter what we're feeling, no matter the conditions, we just never give up," Barty said about her team.

The Aussie will be facing Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia on Saturday.

(Inputs from Reuters)