Aryna Sabalenka completed the Sunshine Double on Saturday, March 28, beating Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the Miami Open women’s final and defending her title in South Florida. The win gave the world No. 1 back-to-back WTA 1000 trophies after her Indian Wells triumph and made her the first player since Iga Swiatek in 2022 to sweep both events in the same season.
Playing in front of a packed, heavily pro-Gauff crowd at Hard Rock Stadium, Sabalenka looked in control early. She took the opening set 6-2 by striking cleanly off both wings and keeping pressure on Gauff’s serve. Official match results show Sabalenka won the final in 2 hours, 9 minutes, pulling away again in the deciding set after Gauff had fought back to level the match.
Gauff, playing in her first Miami Open final at her home tournament, did not fade after the difficult first set. The American raised her level in the second, using her speed and defense to extend rallies and force errors from Sabalenka, eventually taking the set 6-4 to push the championship match into a third. Reuters reported that Sabalenka had been dominant on serve for stretches of the afternoon, but Gauff still found a way to drag the contest back into a battle.
The deciding set turned on Sabalenka’s ability to reset quickly. After letting the second set slip, she broke early in the third and reasserted herself with the kind of first-strike tennis that has made her the best hard-court player in the world this season. Reuters reported that she won 73 percent of her first-serve points and faced only two break points in the match, a sign of how difficult she was to disrupt even when Gauff briefly grabbed momentum.
The victory was significant beyond the trophy itself. According to the WTA, it was Sabalenka’s 24th career singles title, and it also placed her among a small group of women to complete the Sunshine Double. Miami Open coverage described the final as a high-level contest in front of a sold-out crowd, with Sabalenka once again proving decisive in the biggest moments on hard courts.
For Gauff, the loss still capped an encouraging run. She reached the final in her home event and pushed the top-ranked player in the world into a tense three-setter. ESPN noted that the result also shifted the head-to-head edge slightly in Sabalenka’s favor, underlining how competitive the rivalry has become. With the clay season now next, Gauff leaves Miami disappointed but with signs that her level is rising at the right time.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, leaves Miami with even more momentum than she had coming in. She arrived as defending champion and leaves with another title, another major statement on hard courts, and a place in one of the rarest accomplishments in women’s tennis. For a tournament that always draws strong attention across the Americas, the final delivered a marquee matchup, a full stadium, and a champion who continues to set the pace on the WTA Tour.
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