2 months ago
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Aryna Sabalenka won her 2nd consecutive Miami Open rubric connected Sunday (March 29, 2026), beating Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to implicit a "Sunshine Double" Indian Wells-Miami sweep.
The satellite fig 1 from Belarus, caller disconnected her archetypal triumph successful the California desert, became the 5th pistillate -- and the archetypal since Iga Swiatek successful 2022 — to triumph some of the elite early-season hardcourt WTA 1000 titles.
"It means a lot," Sabalenka said aft joining Poland's Swiatek, German large Steffi Graf, Belgian Kim Clijsters and chap Belarusian Victoria Azarenka connected the database of women to triumph some titles successful the aforesaid year.
"My extremity ever been to enactment my sanction successful the history, and I conscionable did it."
Sabalenka underscored her WTA dominance successful a play successful which her lone decision to day was her Australian Open finals nonaccomplishment to Elena Rybakina — who she went connected to bushed successful the Indian Wells rubric lucifer and successful the semi-finals here.
She handed Gauff her archetypal vocation decision successful a hardcourt final. The American had won her archetypal nine, including a triumph implicit Sabalenka successful the 2023 US Open title match.
Gauff had besides beaten the Belarusian for the rubric connected the reddish clay of Roland Garros past year. So Sabalenka said she wasn't amazed to spot Gauff excavation in, adjacent aft the Belarusian pocketed the archetypal acceptable with a ruthless show of powerfulness and precision.
She broke Gauff to unfastened the lucifer and, aft Gauff saved 3 interruption points successful a gritty 5th game, broke the American again successful the seventh earlier serving it retired successful 37 minutes without facing a interruption constituent herself.
In a tense 2nd set, Gauff's archetypal interruption constituent chance— from a blistering backhand passing victor successful the 2nd crippled — sparked a jubilant absorption from the assemblage astatine Hard Rock Stadium, location of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, which is conscionable astir an hr distant from Gauff's Delray Beach home.
But Gauff couldn't convert, slamming a forehand into the nett connected the adjacent constituent arsenic Sabalenka held.
It needed different gutsy clasp from Gauff to support it connected service successful the 5th game. Up 40-0, she wasted 3 crippled points with a brace of errors disconnected the crushed and a treble responsibility past had to prevention a interruption constituent earlier taking the game.
But Gauff was uncovering much extent connected her returns and broke Sabalenka for the archetypal clip to instrumentality the 2nd set.
"I knew that she's going to effort her precise champion to combat successful this match," Sabalenka said.
"I was conscionable trying to support a affirmative mindset going into the 3rd set. I'm ace blessed however good I handled my emotions however good I stayed focused from the precise opening to the precise end."
What a month
And the 3rd set, again, was virtually each Sabalenka. She broke to unfastened the last framework and broke again erstwhile Gauff sailed a backhand agelong connected Sabalenka's archetypal lucifer point.
"What a month," said Sabalenka, who on with 2 prestigious titles acquired a caller puppy and got engaged to fellow Georgios Frangulis.
Gauff was besides feeling grateful aft a rocky March that saw her retreat from her third-round lucifer astatine Indian Wells with a nervus contented that caused "scary" symptom successful her near arm.
She had said aft a ascendant semi-final triumph implicit Karolina Muchova that she was making advancement with the inconsistencies successful her service and forehand, though 7 treble faults wounded her origin against Sabalenka.
And aft considering skipping the event, the 22-year-old was thrilled to scope the last for the archetypal time.
"I consciousness similar I'm obscurity adjacent my highest of my tennis, truthful I deliberation it gives maine comfortableness a small spot playing these tournaments and having large results," she said.
