Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka defeated hometown favorite Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the Miami Open final on Saturday, securing a victory that allowed her to join an exclusive club by completing the 'Sunshine Double'. This achievement involves winning the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments back-to-back, a feat accomplished by only four other women in history.

Top-seeded Sabalenka, who reached the final without dropping a set, dominated with 73 percent of her first-serve points won and faced just two break points throughout the match. The final was a rematch of the 2025 French Open final, which Gauff had won. With this victory, Sabalenka improved her head-to-head record against Gauff to 7-6, highlighting the intense rivalry between the two players.

In the match, Sabalenka raced to a 2-0 lead, but Gauff, from nearby Delray Beach and making her first Miami final appearance, fought back with a love hold and repelled three break points to narrow the gap to 3-2. Sabalenka maintained her focus, however, and closed out the first set on her serve. The second set remained tight until Gauff broke Sabalenka for the only time in the match to force a decider. In the third set, Sabalenka broke early, held serve at love in two consecutive games to lead 5-3, and sealed the win with her fourth break when Gauff sent a backhand wide.

Sabalenka became the first player since Ash Barty in 2019 and 2021 to win back-to-back Miami titles, with the 2020 edition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She now joins Iga Swiatek, Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, and Steffi Graf as the only women to complete the Sunshine Double. Additionally, Sabalenka improved her season record to 23-1, with her sole loss coming in the Australian Open final to Elena Rybakina, whom she later defeated in the Indian Wells final and Miami semifinals.

Source: www.aljazeera.com