Aryna Sabalenka completed the Sunshine Double, becoming just the fifth woman to ever achieve this feat. She defeated the home favorite, Coco Gauff, in an electrifying atmosphere at the Hard Rock Stadium in a three-setter. The match started as an easy win for the Belarusian, but Gauff turned the tide in the second set, but it was not enough.

The top seed sealed the victory with 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. After the match, Sabalenka talked about the limits the fourth seed had pushed her to. 

“Well, I know that she’s a fighter. I know that she’s going to fight for every opportunity. I made that. She played incredible, but I made a couple of unforced errors in the last game, and I gave her a set, but I was really mentally strong in my head. I knew that I was doing everything right. It was just a matter of few points, and I always keep telling myself, just stay focused, try to do better in the next time. That was the mentality, going to the third set.” Sabalenka said in the on-court interview.  

The tribute was genuine. Sabalenka and Gauff have faced each other enough times, played for the 13th time in their career. Their H2H stands at 7-6 in the top seed’s favor, and after these many matches, the top seed knew that there’s never a moment of rest till the last shot is played.

There was a melting point in the first set, where Sabalenka had gotten frustrated due to the loud cheering from Gauff’s player box. She addressed this moment in the interview and answered with characteristic honesty.

“Yeah, I got a little bit straight at that one moment. Definitely not proud I yelled, but I’m like, Come on, you cannot do that. But anyway, I had a lot of support here as well. I feel like local here, and I knew what to expect the women into this match, and I really enjoyed it. Even though they were cheering for her, I felt like they were cheering for a great tennis, and I felt the respect, and I’m really grateful for the vibes,” she added. 

Even though the crowd was against her, she generously took the atmosphere. It was a gracious reflection from the four-time Grand Slam champion, who has only lost one match this year.

Both players had very different routes to this final. Sabalenka had dominated all five matches she played before this, winning all of them in straight sets and notably defeating world No. 2 Elena Rybakina in the semifinals. 

It was the mentality of Sabalenka that prevailed in the match-up. The non-panic-inducing capacity, the ability to hit the reset button after losing the second set, that separated her from Gauff to lift the trophy. 

The world No. 1 has won six titles from her last eight finals. Even though clay is not Sabalenka’s strongest suit, her form will be a huge factor as Roland Garros nears. 

The campaign by Gauff could not have appeared any different. Four of her five matches before the final went to three sets. The only dominant performance was featured in the semifinals, where she went past 13th seed Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-1. 

Additionally, she was battling with a nerve issue in her non-serving arm throughout the tournament, due to which she had retired at the Indian Wells. Despite withdrawal suggestions from her team, she was determined to compete at her home tournament. Before this week, she had never gone past the fourth round of the Miami Open, but she has finally broken the curse. 

Coco Gauff overwhelmed at the Hard Rock Stadium

The Florida native had been coming to Hard Rock Stadium to watch Miami Dolphins games in her childhood. The 22-year-old, standing at the podium for the first time in her career, it was a surreal moment for her. Even though the trophy had gone to Sabalenka, this moment meant a lot to Coco Gauff. While delivering her runner-up speech, she stated:

“It’s crazy to be able to talk in this stadium. I grew up going to all the Dolphins games. It’s pretty cool to be on this stage. First I’d like to thank God. I think it’s been a tough couple of weeks for me, but always pulling me through. I’m grateful to be here in the final. All the credit goes to him,” 

The American has had a troublesome 2026 till now, as this was her first final appearance of the year. Therefore, she was grateful to god for being able to reach here despite her injury issues. Then she turned to her opponent and offered words of genuine respect.

“Next, Aryna, congratulations. We’ve had many battles. Many finals. You push me to be a better player. Congratulations on all the success on and off the court. You’re a great fighter. Hopefully we can play many more, I think we will. Congrats to your team as well. Always fun to speak to you guys on tour,” Gauff added.

Gauff decided to celebrate the rivalry instead of feeling stung by the defeat. The battles between the two players have produced some of the most compelling tennis of this era, and it continued to do so on a Saturday evening in Miami. The juggernaut moves to clay, where the defending champion Coco Gauff would set her eyes on the ultimate prize at Roland Garros.