Aryna Sabalenka defended her Miami Open title on Saturday after beating Coco Gauff in a thrilling final.
Sabalenka proved too strong for her American rival, defeating the two-time Grand Slam champion 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
By winning the Miami title, Sabalenka became the first player since Iga Swiatek in 2022 to complete the Sunshine Double: winning Indian Wells and Miami in the same calendar year.
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She looks unstoppable right now!
Sabalenka more than confirmed her status as the best player in the world with victory over the American on Saturday; and it seems the Belarusian, despite her dominance, is continuing to expand her game.
Andrea Petkovic says Aryna Sabalenka used the ‘angle’ against Coco Gauff
Andrea Petkovic, the former world number nine, assessed Aryna Sabalenka’s performance immediately after the final.
“It was so impressive. It was so impressive,” Petkovic said of Sabalenka on the Tennis Channel. Especially because Aryna Sabalenka once more added a new element to her game in that first set, particularly.
“We saw her use the angle and try to get Coco off that one line that Coco loves to move on, and then Coco does what she does best.
“She just competes, no matter how well the opponent is playing, no matter how much they are zoning. Coco competes, waits for a chance, and she got a chance.
“I was down there. I was about 10 feet away from both players. And it did feel like there was a little bit more tension in Aryna Sabalenka. She respects Coco – as not only an athlete, but also as a competitor.
“She knew this could get very, very dicey if she’s not very sharp from the get-go, and you could feel that tension down there, and she did incredibly well to sort of I don’t want to say PTSD – is a strong word – but there were memories.
“There were memories in major finals for Aryna Sabalenka when it goes to a third set with Coco Gauff.
She later added: “That’s my only quibble I have with Aryna Sabalenka. That now, next time we come around this year, we will think this is… we will expect these players to just complete the Sunshine Double.
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“There are the conditions to be taken account for that are so different in Indian Wells and Miami. But Prakash, to be able to stay emotionally stable throughout four weeks of highly competitive tennis, that’s something that’s mesmerising.”
After winning back-to-back WTA 1000 titles on hard courts, Sabalenka will now look ahead to the clay-court season.
The Belarusian will be hoping to register another strong clay-court campaign and secure her first French Open title in June.
How will Aryna Sabalenka handle the transition to clay?
Now the Miami Open has concluded, Aryna Sabalenka will turn her attention to the clay-court swing.
The Belarusian has greatly improved her clay-court play over the last few years and will consequently be confident heading into this year’s swing.
Last year, Sabalenka began her clay-court swing at the Madrid Open, where she defeated Elina Svitolina and Coco Gauff on her way to the title.
Sabalenka then travelled to Rome for the Italian Open. The 27-year-old defeated Anastasia Potapova, Sofia Kenin and Marta Kostyuk before losing to Qinwen Zheng.
At the French Open, Sabalenka was defeated in the final by Coco Gauff, who secured a second Grand Slam title of her career.
