Aryna Sabalenka, the world`s top-ranked player, continued her impressive hard-court performance by adding the Miami Open title to her achievements on Saturday. Sabalenka defeated No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula in the final with a score of 7-5, 6-2, claiming her first Miami Open trophy presented by Itaú.
In a rematch of the previous year`s US Open final, Sabalenka needed 1 hour and 28 minutes to overcome the American player and secure the championship. Despite recent close matches between them, Sabalenka has now extended her advantage in head-to-head encounters against Pegula to 7-2.
Impressive Stats: Sabalenka has now accumulated eight WTA 1000 singles titles in her career, matching Maria Sharapova`s record. Only Serena Williams (13), Victoria Azarenka (10), Iga Swiatek (10), Simona Halep (9), and Petra Kvitova (9) have more WTA 1000 titles since this tier was established in 2009.
Overall, Sabalenka`s Miami Open victory marks her 19th Hologic WTA Tour singles title. Notably, 17 of these 19 titles have been won on hard courts, including all three of her Grand Slam singles titles: the 2023 Australian Open, 2024 Australian Open, and 2024 US Open.
Surprisingly, prior to this win, Sabalenka had never won either of the prestigious hard-court titles that make up the March Sunshine Double. She has been a runner-up twice at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (including earlier this month) and had never progressed to a Miami Open final until this week. Now, Sabalenka can finally celebrate being the Miami Open champion.
Key Moments: Sabalenka initially gained an advantage on Saturday, but Pegula fought back, winning three consecutive games to take a 3-2 lead. The seesaw first set continued with Sabalenka taking control of the subsequent three games and serving for the set at 5-3.
Another twist occurred when Pegula broke back to level the score, but at 6-5, Sabalenka played her most dominant game of the set. The World No. 1 unleashed three consecutive winners to earn triple set point, and then sealed the set with a powerful forehand, breaking serve to win the set.
Both players committed 16 unforced errors in the first set, but Sabalenka`s 16 winners were double Pegula`s eight. This was the fourth consecutive set Pegula has lost to Sabalenka 7-5 in their rivalry.
The game at 2-1 in the second set proved crucial. Pegula battled back from 0-40 down to deuce, but Sabalenka responded with powerful forehand winners on the following two points, securing a break for a 3-1 lead. From that point, the top seed comfortably closed out the match and lifted the trophy.
More updates to follow…
