Sabalenka defeats Gauff to win second straight Miami Open title | Tennis News | Al Jazeera

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Listen Listen (3 mins) Save Click here to share on social media share2 Share facebook twitter whatsapp copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Aryna Sabalenka poses with the trophy after defeating Coco Gauff in the Miami Open final at Hard Rock Stadium on March 28, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida, US [Matthew Stockman/Getty Images via AFP] By Reuters Published On 29 Mar 2026 29 Mar 2026 Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka beat hometown favourite Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the Miami Open final on Saturday to ⁠join an exclusive club by completing the coveted “Sunshine Double”. Top-seeded Sabalenka, who reached the final without dropping a set, won 73 percent of her first-serve points and faced just two break points en ⁠route to victory in a rematch of the 2025 French Open final won by Gauff. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Morocco believe case of the AFCON crown is closed despite Senegal appeal list 2 of 3 Senegal parade AFCON trophy, despite title being awarded to Morocco list 3 of 3 Pakistan’s Naseem Shah under fire after criticism of politician’s PSL visit end of list Sabalenka is only the fifth woman to win the Indian Wells and Miami titles back-to-back, a feat known as the “Sunshine Double”, given the tournaments’ respective locations in California and Florida. “I want to start with [Coco]. Sabalenka returns a shot against Gauff in the final [Carmen Mandato/Getty Images via AFP] Sabalenka raced out to a 2-0 lead, but Gauff, from nearby Delray Beach and appearing in her first Miami final, got on the board with a love hold and then repelled three break points in her next service game to get within 3-2.

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Aryna Sabalenka poses with the trophy after defeating Coco Gauff in the Miami Open final at Hard Rock Stadium on March 28, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida, US [Matthew Stockman/Getty Images via AFP]
By
Reuters
Published On 29 Mar 2026
29 Mar 2026
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka beat hometown favourite Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the Miami Open final on Saturday to ⁠join an exclusive club by completing the coveted “Sunshine Double”.
Top-seeded Sabalenka, who reached the final without dropping a set, won 73 percent of her first-serve points and faced just two break points en ⁠route to victory in a rematch of the 2025 French Open final won by Gauff.
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list of 3 items
list 1 of 3
Morocco believe case of the AFCON crown is closed despite Senegal appeal
list 2 of 3
Senegal parade AFCON trophy, despite title being awarded to Morocco
list 3 of 3
Pakistan’s Naseem Shah under fire after criticism of politician’s PSL visit
end of list
Sabalenka is only the fifth woman to win the Indian Wells and Miami titles back-to-back, a feat known as the “Sunshine Double”, given the tournaments’ respective locations in California and Florida.
“I want to start with [Coco]. You’re a fighter, and you also ‌push me so hard to be a better player, and I like our rivalry,” Sabalenka, who improved to 7-6 all-time versus Gauff, said during the trophy ceremony.
Sabalenka returns a shot against Gauff in the final [Carmen Mandato/Getty Images via AFP]
Sabalenka raced out to a 2-0 lead, but Gauff, from nearby Delray Beach and appearing in her first Miami final, got on the board with a love hold and then repelled three break points in her next service game to get within 3-2.
But Sabalenka did not lose focus and eventually went up a double break ⁠on the world number four before closing out a dominant opening on her ⁠serve.
There was very little to separate the two players in the middle set, which remained on serve until Gauff broke Sabalenka for the only time in the match to force a third set. Sabalenka broke Gauff to open the decider, held ⁠at love in two consecutive service games to go 5-3 up and then sealed the victory with her fourth break of the match when Gauff ⁠sent a backhand wide.
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Sabalenka is the first player to win back-to-back ⁠Miami titles since Ash Barty in 2019 and 2021. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Belarusian joins Iga Swiatek (2022), Victoria Azarenka (2016), Kim Clijsters (2005) and Steffi Graf (1994, 1996) as the only women to complete the Sunshine Double.
She also improved to 23-1 on the ‌year, her only loss coming in the Australian Open final at the hands of Elena Rybakina, whom she went on to beat in the Indian Wells final and Miami semifinals.
“Aryna, congratulations. We’ve had many ‌battles, ‌many finals and, yeah, I think you push me to be a better player,” said Gauff. “You’re a great fighter, and hopefully we can play many more. I think we will.”
Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, right, embrace after the final [Marta Lavandier/AP Photo]

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Morocco believe case of the AFCON crown is closed despite Senegal appeal list 2 of 3 Senegal parade AFCON trophy, despite title being awarded to Morocco list 3 of 3 Pakistan’s Naseem Shah under fire after criticism of politician’s PSL visit end of list Sabalenka is only the fifth woman to win the Indian Wells and Miami titles back-to-back, a feat known as the “Sunshine Double”, given the tournaments’ respective locations in California and Florida. “I want to start with [Coco].

### Implications
- Sabalenka returns a shot against Gauff in the final [Carmen Mandato/Getty Images via AFP] Sabalenka raced out to a 2-0 lead, but Gauff, from nearby Delray Beach and appearing in her first Miami final, got on the board with a love hold and then repelled three break points in her next service game to get within 3-2.
- I think we will.” Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, right, embrace after the final [Marta Lavandier/AP Photo]

### Expert Commentary
This article covers sabalenka, gauff, final topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 555.