Sabalenka Successfully Defends Miami Open Title, Achieves 'Sunshine Double' Feat

Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning champion, outplayed Coco Gauff in the Miami Open final, securing her position in an elite group of players who have achieved the highly coveted 'Sunshine Double'. World No 1 Sabalenka, who had not dropped a set throughout the tournament, demonstrated exceptional skill by winning 73 per cent of her first-serve points and facing only two break points, ultimately emerging victorious with a 6-2 4-6 6-3 win in a rematch of the 2025 French Open final, which Gauff had won. Sabalenka is now among the select few women to have won the Indian Wells and Miami titles consecutively, a feat known as the 'Sunshine Double' due to the tournaments' locations in California and Florida. The match began with Sabalenka taking a 2-0 lead, but Gauff, who was competing in her first Miami final, managed to get back on track with a love hold and then successfully repelled three break points in her next service game to narrow the gap to 3-2. However, Sabalenka maintained her focus and eventually secured a double break against the world No 4, dominating the opening set. The second set was closely contested, with neither player able to gain a significant advantage until Gauff broke Sabalenka to force a deciding set. Sabalenka broke Gauff at the start of the final set, held her serve at love in two consecutive games to take a 5-3 lead, and then sealed her victory with her fourth break of the match when Gauff sent a backhand wide. By achieving this feat, Sabalenka joins an exclusive group of players, including Iga Swiatek, Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, and Steffi Graf, who have completed the 'Sunshine Double'. The Belarusian has also improved her record to 23-1 for the year, with her only loss being to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final. Sabalenka expressed her pride in her performance, stating, 'I'm so proud of the work that we've done - the fight that I was able to bring on court and the level and everything, like just wow.' She acknowledged Gauff's strong performance but emphasized her own mental toughness, saying, 'I knew that I was doing everything right; it was just a matter of a few points, and I just kept telling myself, just stay focused, try to do better the next time, and that was the mentality going into the third set.' Tim Henman, a Sky Sports Tennis commentator, praised Sabalenka's mental capacity and fortitude, saying, 'She's obviously fatigued mentally and physically, but I think that first couple of games of the third set spoke volumes - the mental capacity, her fortitude to say, okay, I've dropped that second set, but I go again. I've got one last set here to do the Sunshine Double.'