Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner both completed the Sunshine Double over the weekend, becoming 2026 Miami Open champions after respective victories over Coco Gauff and Jiri Lehecka.
Sabalenka Battles Past Gauff
The reigning champion came out of the traps flying in the first set, breaking the American twice, only for Gauff to secure the second set and snatch the momentum going into the decider.
After overcoming Sabalenka in three at the final of Roland Garros last year after being one down, it looked as though the home favourite might be able to pull off an impressive comeback victory over the Belarusian again and become champion in Miami for the first time.
However, it was not to be; Sabalenka, who had not dropped a set throughout the tournament up until that point, remained composed to take the third and defend her title at the Miami Open, winning the final 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
The victor noted that her composure made the difference: “Coco will fight for every opportunity, and she played incredibly, but I was mentally strong. I knew I was doing everything right, and it was just a matter of a few points.”
Having shown a tendency to fall at the final hurdle in recent times, losing in the 2025 and 2026 Australian Open finals, and at the French Open in between, the world No. 1 has taken the first two WTA 1000 events of the season, becoming the first woman to do so since Iga Swiatek in 2022.
There are still positives to take away for Gauff: she moves up to world No. 3, and reaching the final was a big accomplishment after retiring due to injury against Alexandra Eala in the third round at Indian Wells.
Sinner Back to His Best
When Carlos Alcaraz crashed out in the third round to Sebastian Korda, the 2026 Miami Open looked like Sinner’s to lose, and Lehecka, competing in a Masters 1000 final for the first time, was thwarted by the Italian on Sunday.
It was always going to be difficult for the world No. 22, even more so after being broken in just the third game of the first set, the first time his serve had been broken in the entire tournament.
While the Czech fought back, he failed to take the break in the next game, despite having three consecutive opportunities.
Both players continued to hold, and the four-time Grand Slam champion took the lead at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Rain delayed the second set, but that didn’t derail Sinner, who clinched a 6-4, 6-4 win.
After exiting the Australian Open at the semi-final stage and Doha in the quarters, Sinner now seems to have regained some form, which he will be hoping to take into the remainder of the year. Pleased with his back-to-back success. Sinner said, “It means a lot to me. Winning the Sunshine Double for the first time,, it’s incredible. It’s something I never would’ve thought to win because it’s so, so difficult to achieve. We made it somehow, so I’m very happy.”
For Lehecka, he was now shown he can compete with the elite and definitely has the talent to reach the latter stages of the sport’s biggest competitions consistently.
JOINING ELITE COMPANY
Winning Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same year is one of the biggest achievements in tennis outside of the Majors, and only a select few players have completed the feat.
Sabalenka joins the likes of Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, and Swiatek, while Sinner becomes just the fourth man in the 21st century to win the two opening Masters 1000 events, after Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, and the first ever to do so without losing a set.