Miami, March 29: Aryna Sabalenka has secured the Miami Open title, triumphing over world number four Coco Gauff with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the final. Following Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka becomes the first player to complete the ‘Sunshine Double.’
This marks her second consecutive Miami Open title. Previously, only Ash Barty (2019 and 2021) and Serena Williams (2013 to 2015) have achieved back-to-back victories in this tournament. With this win, Sabalenka has solidified her place among tennis legends. She is now the fifth woman to win both Indian Wells and Miami in the same season, joining the ranks of Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, and Iga Swiatek.
Since 2000, Sabalenka is the fourth player to reach the finals of her first four tournaments of the year, following Martina Hingis (2001), Serena Williams (2003), and Victoria Azarenka (2012). All these tournaments have been played on hard courts. She has won three of these, including Brisbane and the Sunshine Double.
After her victory, Sabalenka expressed, “This title is very special. My goal has always been to make my mark in history, and I have just done that. It sounds very strange to hear. I don’t know how I managed it, but I am very proud right now. Of course, I am thrilled with this beautiful trophy.”
This win marks her 24th WTA singles title and her 30th overall, which includes six doubles titles. Among these are four Grand Slam singles titles, two doubles titles, 11 WTA 1000 singles titles, and two additional doubles titles, one of which she won in Miami in 2019. Sabalenka has long been the world number one, and this victory further strengthens her position. She has spent a total of 83 weeks as the world number one, including an impressive current streak of 75 consecutive weeks.
On Monday, she will remain number one for the 76th consecutive week, surpassing Iga Swiatek’s record for the longest time at number one. However, Ash Barty still holds the record for the longest reign, having maintained the top position for 114 weeks from September 2019 to March 2022, a period during which rankings were temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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