By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, March 28, 2026
Photo credit: Miami Open Facebook
Shadow completely shrouded Hard Rock Stadium when Aryna Sabalenka seized the Sunshine Double in style.
World No. 1 Sabalenka dispatched Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in today’s Miami Open final to successfully defend her Miami crown and make history.
The 27-year-old Sabalenka became the fifth woman to win the Sunshine Double—winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back—in the same year after Steffi Graf (1994, 1996), Kim Clijsters (2005), Victoria Azarenka (2016) and Iga Swiatek (2022). Sabalenka joins the legendary Graf as just the second reigning world No. 1 to complete the Sunshine Double.
“That sounds crazy,” Sabalenka told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “It sounds unreal and honestly I don’t know how was I able to achieve that.
“I’m just super grateful, super happy and super proud right now.
It is Sabalenka’s 12th straight win and solidifies her status as true world No. 1 coming nearly two weeks after the big-hitting Belarusian saved a championship point edging Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) in a pulsating Indian Wells final.
Sabalenka snapped Gauff’s perfect 9-0 record in hard-court finals and avenged a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 loss to the American in the 2025 Roland Garros final. Sabalenka is 23-1 with three titles in four tournaments played this year.
It all adds up to Sabalenka’s 24th career title, her 21st on hard court, and the Sunshine Double to cap a month that has seen her get engaged to Georgios Frangulis, compete with an engagement rock on her finger, adopt a puppy, Ash, play the match of the year out-dueling Rybakina in Tennis Paradise and beat home favorite Gauff—and one rowdy woman fan—to defend Miami.
A proactive Sabalenka faced only two break points in the match, while Delray Beach-born baseliner Gauff betrayed her own cause with seven double faults.
This Miami Open final was a rematch of the 2023 US Open final.
On that day, Gauff’s determined defense toppled Sabalenka in a three-set Flushing Meadows victory.
Deadlocked at one set apiece today, Sabalenka stomped out the American’s upset hopes.
“I know Coco quite well,” Sabalenka told Tennis Channel’s Andrea Petkovic. “We know she’s not going to give me this final easily.
“I know she’s going to be fighting, she’s going to be put literally every ball back on my side. I was trying to stay mentally positive going into the third set. I had to be more focused on those key moments in the match.”
The first two games of the third set proved pivotal. Sabalenka broke immediately to start the third set.
Stepping into the court to dictate the direction of rallies. Sabalenka sped through a hold at 15 for 2-0.
The pair traded love holds in the sixth and seventh games. Sabalenka stamped successive holds for 5-3.
Serving to extend the final, Gauff was stunned as Sabalenka shredded a running forehand pass down the line to earn championship point.
When Gauff’s final backhand sailed wide, Sabalenka had her second straight Miami Open crown in two hours, nine minutes.The US Open champion was on the verge of blowing the opening set up, holding double break point in the fifth game. Gauff erased three break points in all and whipped the wide serve working through a nine-minute hold for 2-3.
A subplot of this final story: Gavin MacMillan, Gauff’s coach charged with fixing her sometime wayward served, previously coached Sabalenka and helped fix her serving issues.
The Sabalenka serve is a much bigger weapon on hard court. The top seed showed it zapping an ace down the T holding for 4-2 after 29 minutes.
A Gauff double fault put her in a break point bind. Sabalenka painted the sideline with a backhand winner breaking again for 5-2.
Playing much of the first set on her front foot, Sabalenka fittingly closed the 37-minute opener belting a backhand winner.
On a Miami court playing faster than the Indian Wells court, Sabalenka’s commitment to the first strike and her targeted baseline aggression was too much for Gauff’s defensive counter strikes.
The Sunshine Double day continues the best month of Sabalenka’s Golden Year.
“What could be better than this month? Definitely one of the best months of my life,” Sabalenka said. “Dog. Engagement. Sunshine Double. I don’t know it’s crazy. Definitely the best month of my life.”