Miami Open women’s singles final: Sabalenka aims for 11th WTA 1000 crown and ‘Sunshine Double’

Miami [US], March 28 (ANI): The final of the 2026 Miami Open in women's singles competition between World number four Coco Gauff and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka is set for Sunday.
Gauff is coming after winning four out of her last five games in three sets and has had a tough road to the final, including a brilliant performance against Tokyo Olympics 2020 women's champion Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals.
On the other hand, Sabalenka has made light work of her opposition by winning all five of her matches in straight sets, including a 2023 Indian Wells final rematch against world number three Elena Rybakina in the semifinals, as per Olympics.com. Sabalenka is coming after securing her 10th WTA 1000-level title at the Indian Wells title last month and would be aiming for the 'Sunshine Double' of titles at California and Miami.
The 13th pair between both stars will witness either of these two finally getting an upper hand, with the stats currently levelled 6-6 across 12 matches so far.
This mark's pair's first meeting this season, but in their last match, Sabalenka reigned supreme in the 2025 WTA Finals via straight sets 7-6(5), 6-2. Before that, Gauff had beaten the world number one at the 2025 French Open, getting a remarkable comeback win to secure her first-ever French Open title and overall second Grand Slam title.
Speaking ahead of the final, Sabalenka said, as quoted by WTA's official website, "It could not be a better final. I feel happy for her that she (Gauff) finding her tennis back, and I am excited to play her on her, maybe not the best level right now, but she is trying and getting back on the best level. It is always a fight."
Gauff also said that she entered the WTA finals "a little bit low on confidence" with a lack of trust in her shots.
"We played -- I think it was WTA Finals -- and I started that match off great," Gauff said. "At the end of the day, I just felt like I was entering that tournament maybe a little bit low in confidence, and I just didn't trust my shots in that moment," she added.
"We have played so many matches, and it is physical when I play her every time; it is going to be tough. And she is playing great tennis. She is definitely world number one for a reason, and it is going to be a great challenge," she signed off. (ANI)