AFCON 2025
Aryna Sabalenka has joined the list of elite women’s tennis players to win the Sunshine Double after claiming victory over Coco Guaff on Saturday.
The world number 1 defeated Guaf, the hometown favourite in three sets to successful defend her Miami Open WTA title.
Sabalenka reached the final without dropping a set, winning 73 per cent of her first-serve points and faced just two break points en route to victory.
Aryna Sabalenka became only the fifth woman to win the Indian Wells and Miami titles back-to-back, a feat that players call the Sunshine Double given the tournaments’ respective locations in California and Florida.
The top seed 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 reach 3-2.
However, Sabalenka stayed focused and eventually built a double break against the world No.4 before she closed out a dominant opening set on her serve.
Very little separated the two players in the middle set, which stayed on serve until Gauff broke Sabalenka for the only time in the match to force the deciding third set.
Sabalenka broke Gauff to open the decider, held serve 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.
The Belarusian joined Iga Swiatek (2022), Victoria Azarenka (2016), Kim Clijsters (2005) and Steffi Graf (1994, 1996) as one of the only women to complete the Sunshine Double.
Sabalenka also improved to 23-1 on the year. She suffered her only loss in the Australian Open final to Elena Rybakina, whom she later beat in the Indian Wells final and the Miami semifinals.
