Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff stepped onto Hard Rock Stadium with more than just a title on the line. They were there to break their perfectly poised 6–6 head-to-head deadlock. And as expected, it’s been a fiery contest so far.

But the drama hasn’t just been about the tennis. With Gauff playing on home soil, her box has been loud and fully behind her. Her brother, Cody Gauff, in particular, has been cheering passionately, and it didn’t quite sit well with Sabalenka.

At 2–3 in the opening set, during the crossover, the Belarusian shot a sharp glance toward Gauff, clearly irritated by the noise. The moment didn’t slip past the commentators either.

“We had some of an angry look from Aryna Sabalenka towards Coco Gauff because she thought that one of Coco’s brothers was a bit too loud, so it’s getting a bit spicy in here!” Marion Bartoli told Sky Sports.

Bartoli identified exactly what was going wrong for the American. “It’s not easy because we are very close to her player’s box and there is not really any tactical advice from her player’s box, it’s just really encouragement, but she feels a bit lost, to be honest with you, on the court,” she said.

The return of serve was the specific area of concern. “She just said before the return on the backhands that she missed, that she was not even aiming for the return of serve, so I think she’s feeling the pace from Aryna Sabalenka, that disturbs her a lot,” Bartoli added.

A set down and out of sorts on return, Gauff had a lot to correct in the second set against a player who had not dropped a set all tournament. 

Coco Gauff stages a stunning comeback to force a decider but falls short

The second set was a different story from the first one. Aryna Sabalenka fought, but Coco Gauff thrived with the crowd’s support. 

The pivotal moment came when the 22-year-old came with a monumental hold to go 3-2 up after two deuces. The top seed responded swiftly and leveled the match at 4-4. But at 5-4, Sabalenka succumbed to pressure and, with two back-to-back unforced errors at 30-30 on her serve, handed the break and the second set 6-4 to Gauff. 

The final was pushed into the decider, crowd on its feet, but it was not enough. The world No. 1 rediscovered her level when it mattered the most and closed the final set 6-3. She shut out the noise that rattled her in the second set and returned to her clinical form, which had carried her to this stage. 

Gauff, who had managed to claw back the second set, could not manage her serve in the third set. The American has comitted seven double faults in the entire match and a win percentage of 66% on the first serve, far below her usual standards. 

The Belarusian successfully defended her Miami Open title and completed the Sunshine Double. She became only the fifth woman in history to achieve this, others being Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, and Victoria Azarenka. 

For Gauff, this was not only her first Miami Open final appearance but also her first final appearance of the year. This would definitely give her a huge boost heading to the clay season next month.