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Aryna Sabalenka beats Coco Gauff to defend Miami Open title and complete Sunshine Double, joining Iga Swiatek, Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka.
Aryna Sabalenka beat hometown favourite Coco Gauff 6-2 4-6 6-3 in the Miami Open final (AP)
Aryna Sabalenka won her second straight Miami Open title on Sunday, defeating Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to complete the “Sunshine Double” with an Indian Wells–Miami sweep.
The world number one from Belarus, fresh off her first triumph in the California desert, became the fifth woman — and the first since Iga Swiatek in 2022 — to win both of the elite early-season hardcourt WTA 1000 titles.
“It means a lot,” Aryna Sabalenka said after joining Poland’s Swiatek, German great Steffi Graf, Belgian Kim Clijsters and fellow Belarusian Victoria Azarenka on the list of women to win both titles in the same year.
“My goal has always been to put my name in the history, and I just did it.”
Sabalenka underlined her dominance on the WTA Tour in a season in which her only defeat so far was in the Australian Open final to Elena Rybakina — whom she went on to beat in the Indian Wells title match and again in the semi-finals in Miami Open.
She handed Gauff her first career defeat in a hardcourt final.
The American had won her first 9 hardcourt finals, including a victory over Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open championship match.
Gauff had also beaten the Belarusian for the title on the red clay of Roland Garros last year.
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“I knew that she’s going to try her very best to fight in this match,” Sabalenka said.
“I was just trying to keep a positive mindset going into the third set. I’m super happy how well I handled my emotions, how well I stayed focused from the very beginning to the very end.”
“What a month,” said Sabalenka, who, along with two prestigious titles, also acquired a new puppy and got engaged to her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis.
Gauff was also feeling grateful after a rocky March that saw her withdraw from her third-round match at Indian Wells with a nerve issue that caused “scary” pain in her left arm.
She had said after a dominant semi-final win over Karolina Muchova that she was making progress with the inconsistencies in her serve and forehand, although 7 double faults hurt her cause against Sabalenka.
And after considering skipping the event, the 22-year-old was thrilled to reach the final for the first time.
“I feel like I’m nowhere near my peak of my tennis, so I think it gives me comfort a little bit playing these tournaments and having great results,” she said.
(With inputs from Agencies)
United States of America (USA)
March 29, 2026, 07:52 IST
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