Sabalenka Crowned Miami Open 2026 Champion, Completing the 'Sunshine Double'

Aryna Sabalenka swiftly regained her dominant position on the WTA Tour after stumbling in the Australian Open final.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka continued to display her "devastating" form by defeating Coco Gauff with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the final Miami Open 2026 which took place early in the morning of March 29 Vietnam time, thereby securing her second consecutive championship title at this tournament.

The victory in Miami enabled Sabalenka to complete the prestigious early-season hardcourt double - also known as the "Sunshine Double" - after her earlier triumph at Indian Wells. This is a historic milestone, placing the Belarusian player among the elite few who have achieved this feat, alongside Iga Swiatek, Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, and Victoria Azarenka.

"This means a lot. I always wanted to etch my name into history, and today I have done it.", Sabalenka shared after the match.

The final witnessed the dominance of the world number one in the first set. With powerful and highly accurate shots, she quickly secured a 6-2 victory in just 37 minutes, without facing any break points. However, Gauff demonstrated her resilience by mounting a strong comeback in the second set. The home favorite capitalized on opportunities, improved her return game, and regained control to level the match at 1-1.

Nevertheless, in the decisive set, Sabalenka reaffirmed her class. She secured an early break and maintained control until the match concluded.

Notably, this defeat also marked Gauff's first loss in a hardcourt final, following a previous streak of 9 consecutive wins, which included a victory over Sabalenka at the US Open 2023.

On her part, Sabalenka continues to maintain an impressive form in the 2026 season, with the only loss up to this point being the Australian Open final against Elena Rybakina. She also successfully "settled the score" by defeating Rybakina herself in the Indian Wells final and the Miami semifinals this year.

"I knew Gauff would fight until the end. So, I just tried to stay positive and manage my emotions as best as I could.", the two-time consecutive Miami champion added.