World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the women’s singles final of the Miami Open to clinch her second consecutive title and complete the ‘Sunshine Double’.
The Belarusian, who also won Indian Wells earlier this month, became the first player since Iga Swiatek in 2022 to achieve the feat of winning both tournaments in the same season.
Sabalenka dominated the opening and deciding sets with powerful groundstrokes, overcoming a spirited challenge from fourth seed Gauff, who rallied to take the second set in front of a partisan home crowd. The match lasted two hours and 11 minutes.
“You've pushed me to be a better player,” Sabalenka said during the trophy ceremony, addressing Gauff. “You always bring a full stadium.”
Also read: Sabalenka reaches Indian Wells final, 3rd time in 4 years
Gauff, playing in her home tournament, fought back strongly in the second set but struggled with consistency on serve, committing seven double faults. Sabalenka, in contrast, did not record a single double fault and capitalised on key moments, including an early break in the third set.
“It sucks not to come out with a better result but I had a lot of joy this week,” Gauff said. “You guys brought energy every day this week.”
Sabalenka briefly clashed with the crowd during the match after a disturbance during a rally, later acknowledging her reaction. “I shouldn't be that rude, but come on, you cannot do that. So let's agree we were both wrong, so sorry,” she said.
The victory marks Sabalenka’s 24th career title and extends her head-to-head lead over Gauff to 7-6. It also underlines her dominance on hard courts this season, having secured back-to-back titles at two of the biggest events outside the Grand Slams.
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