Sabalenka Completes Rare Sunshine Double at Miami Open

A Historic Sweep in the Florida Sun

Aryna Sabalenka continued her extraordinary 2026 campaign on Saturday, defeating home favorite Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the Miami Open final to complete the coveted "Sunshine Double" — winning both Indian Wells and Miami in the same season. The Belarusian is the first player to achieve the feat since Iga Swiatek in 2022, and only the fifth woman in history to do so.

Dominance, Disruption, and a Decisive Third Set

The match at Hard Rock Stadium lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes, swinging between Sabalenka's raw power and Gauff's resilient counterpunching. Sabalenka stormed through the opening set, breaking Gauff twice and conceding little on her own serve. The world No. 1 won 73% of her first-serve points and committed zero double faults across the entire match — a remarkable stat against Gauff's seven.

Gauff, the fourth seed playing in front of her South Florida fans, rallied bravely in the second set to level the match at one set apiece. But Sabalenka broke immediately in the decider and never relinquished control, closing out the third set 6-3 to claim her 24th career WTA title.

The final was not without drama. Sabalenka was visibly frustrated by crowd interference when a spectator shouted "out" during a rally, prompting a code violation from the chair umpire. She later acknowledged the incident with characteristic candor: "I shouldn't be that rude, but come on, you cannot do that."

An Elite Club

The Sunshine Double — sweeping the back-to-back WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami — is one of the sport's most grueling accomplishments. Since the tournaments were first paired in 1989, only five women have managed it:

• Steffi Graf (1994, 1996)
• Kim Clijsters (2005)
• Victoria Azarenka (2016)
• Iga Swiatek (2022)
• Aryna Sabalenka (2026)

Notably, Sabalenka is only the second woman to complete the Double while ranked world No. 1, joining Graf — a distinction that underlines just how dominant her current form is.

Season of Near-Perfection

With titles in Brisbane, Indian Wells, and now Miami, Sabalenka's 2026 record stands at a staggering 23-1. Her lone loss came at the Australian Open. Across nine matches in California and Florida combined, she dropped just one set — in this very final.

The victory also gave Sabalenka the edge in one of the WTA's most compelling rivalries. The pair entered Saturday's final tied 6-6 in career meetings; Sabalenka now leads 7-6. It was also the first time anyone had beaten Gauff in a hard-court final — the American had been 9-0 in such title matches before Saturday.

What's Next

Despite the loss, Gauff's strong run in Miami is projected to lift her from No. 4 to No. 3 in the world rankings, overtaking Swiatek. She was gracious in defeat: "It sucks not to come out with a better result, but I had a lot of joy this week."

Sabalenka, meanwhile, remains the clear frontrunner for the 2026 season. As the clay-court swing begins, the question is no longer whether she is the best player in the world — but whether anyone can stop her.