Aryna Sabalenka claimed her second consecutive Miami title, defeating Coco Gauff, completing the Sunshine Double, after also winning Indian Wells earlier in the month. She now becomes just the fifth woman to achieve this in the same season.
Sabalenka improved her 2026 record to 23-1, and moved to 7-6 in the head-to-head against Gauff. Gauff had previously defeated her in the finals of the 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open.
Sabalenka dominated the first set, breaking Gauff early and powering to a 6-2 win with aggressive baseline play. Gauff responded in the second set, saving break points before breaking late to take it 6-4.
In the decider, Sabalenka broke Gauff in the opening game, helped by a double fault and unforced error from the American, followed by a backhand winner on break point. She broke Gauff for a fourth time overall to close out the match when Gauff hit a wide backhand.
Key match statistics highlight Sabalenka’s control, despite being pushed on the scoreboard. She created 11 break point opportunities while Gauff generated just the two. Sabalenka won 61% of points on her second serve compared to 47% for Gauff. She registered no double faults, while Gauff – not unusually – hit seven. Sabalenka had the edge in rallies of all lengths, winning more points in 0-4 shot, 4-6 shot, 7-9 shot, and 10-12 shot exchanges.
Sabalenka has lost only four sets all year now. She reached the Miami final without dropping a set until the second set against Gauff. Her powerful serve and groundstrokes proved too much for Gauff (and to be honest, most others on the WTA Tour at the moment), particularly in the first and third sets.
In the on-court ceremony following the victory, Sabalenka told Gauff: “You’re a fighter and you also push me so hard to be a better player and I like our rivalry.” She thanked the capacity crowd, which, for an event that had had plenty of detractors on social media, was wonderful to see: “Thank you guys for an incredible atmosphere. You always bring incredible vibes and a full stadium for our final, thank you so much.”
Addressing a fan incident during the match that resulted in a code violation (a spectator yelling “out” during a rally), Sabalenka somewhat made light of the situation, while also making her point: “Where you are, that lady that yelled, that hoped for the out — I shouldn’t have been that rude. But come on, you cannot do that. So let’s agree that we both were wrong. Sorry.”
Gauff, while dejected, remained relatively positive: “It sucks not to come out with a better result but I had a lot of joy this week. You guys brought energy every day this week.” On the crucial third-set opener, she noted: “I was disappointed about that first game of the third set up 30-0 with momentum. It was an important game to win in that moment.” She also directed some kind words towards Sabalenka: “You pushed me to be a better player… you’re a great fighter, and hopefully we can play many more.”
The victory marked Sabalenka’s 24th career title, and continues her amazing start to the 2026 season. Whether she can continue her run on the clay will make for interesting viewing in the coming months.
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