Sabalenka defeats Gauff to win second straight Miami Open title

World fig 1 Aryna Sabalenka edges Coco Gauff successful a tense three-set last to assertion the ‘Sunshine Double’ successful Florida.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka bushed hometown favourite Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 successful the Miami Open last connected Saturday to ⁠join an exclusive nine by completing the coveted “Sunshine Double”.

Top-seeded Sabalenka, who reached the last without dropping a set, won 73 percent of her first-serve points and faced conscionable 2 interruption points en ⁠route to triumph successful a rematch of the 2025 French Open last won by Gauff.

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Sabalenka is lone the 5th pistillate to triumph the Indian Wells and Miami titles back-to-back, a feat known arsenic the “Sunshine Double”, fixed the tournaments’ respective locations successful California and Florida.

“I privation to commencement with [Coco]. You’re a fighter, and you besides ‌push maine truthful hard to beryllium a amended player, and I similar our rivalry,” Sabalenka, who improved to 7-6 all-time versus Gauff, said during the trophy ceremony.

Sabalenka returns a changeable against Gauff successful the last [Carmen Mandato/Getty Images via AFP]

Sabalenka raced retired to a 2-0 lead, but Gauff, from adjacent Delray Beach and appearing successful her archetypal Miami final, got connected the committee with a emotion clasp and past repelled 3 interruption points successful her adjacent work crippled to get wrong 3-2.

But Sabalenka did not suffer absorption and yet went up a treble interruption ⁠on the satellite fig 4 earlier closing retired a ascendant opening connected her ⁠serve.

There was precise small to abstracted the 2 players successful the mediate set, which remained connected service until Gauff broke Sabalenka for the lone clip successful the lucifer to unit a 3rd set. Sabalenka broke Gauff to unfastened the decider, held ⁠at emotion successful 2 consecutive work games to spell 5-3 up and past sealed the triumph with her 4th interruption of the lucifer erstwhile Gauff ⁠sent a backhand wide.

Sabalenka is the archetypal subordinate to triumph back-to-back ⁠Miami titles since Ash Barty successful 2019 and 2021. The 2020 variation was cancelled owed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Belarusian joins Iga Swiatek (2022), Victoria Azarenka (2016), Kim Clijsters (2005) and Steffi Graf (1994, 1996) arsenic the lone women to implicit the Sunshine Double.

She besides improved to 23-1 connected the ‌year, her lone nonaccomplishment coming successful the Australian Open last astatine the hands of Elena Rybakina, whom she went connected to bushed successful the Indian Wells last and Miami semifinals.

“Aryna, congratulations. We’ve had galore ‌battles, ‌many finals and, yeah, I deliberation you propulsion maine to beryllium a amended player,” said Gauff. “You’re a large fighter, and hopefully we tin play galore more. I deliberation we will.”

Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, right, clasp aft the last [Marta Lavandier/AP Photo]