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Key Points

Aryna Sabalenka secured her first Miami Open title with a commanding win over Jessica Pegula. The world No. 1 bounced back from recent final defeats to claim her 19th career WTA Tour victory. Sabalenka's triumph also ties her with Maria Sharapova for WTA 1000 titles. Her hard-court dominance continues, with 17 of her 19 titles coming on the surface.

Key Points: Aryna Sabalenka Wins First Miami Open Title Over Jessica Pegula

  • Sabalenka avenges past final losses with dominant Miami Open win
  • Defeats Pegula 7-5, 6-2 without dropping a set
  • Matches Maria Sharapova with 8 WTA 1000 titles
  • Extends hard-court dominance with 17 of 19 career titles
3 min read

Sabalenka clinches maiden Miami Open title

World No. 1 Sabalenka defeats Jessica Pegula in straight sets to claim her maiden Miami Open title, marking her 19th career WTA Tour victory.

"Finally, I was able to play my best tennis in the final, and I’m just super happy with the result. – Aryna Sabalenka"

Miami, March 30

Aryna Sabalenka captured her maiden Miami Open title after beating over America's Jessica Pegula in the final.

In a rematch of last year's US Open final, despite having her formidable serve broken three times in the opening set, Sabalenka, the world No. 1, calmly shook it off, achieved the critical break at 5-6 which catapulted her to a 7-5, 6-2 victory over fourth-ranked Pegula 1 hour and 28 minutes to win her first Miami Open Masters 1000.

It was a big victory for Sabalenka, who suffered narrow losses in her last two finals, at the Australian Open (to Madison Keys) and Indian Wells (to Mirra Andreeva).

"Finally, I was able to play my best tennis in the final, and I’m just super happy with the result and with the performance, I’d say, [for] these months. So, super happy to hold this beautiful (crystal Butch Buchholz) trophy.

“Honestly going into this match, I had the mentality that no matter what happens, if she’s going to break me, I had the mentality to stay there, to focus on myself, to fight for every point no matter what.

“I didn’t want to lose another final, to be honest. It’s really tough to lose in the final. So if someone would say that, I’d be, like, OK, it’s going to be a battle, I’m ready for that," said Sabalenka.

Sabalenka is now up to eight WTA 1000 singles titles in her career, equaling Maria Sharapova's total. The only players ahead of her in WTA 1000 titles, dating back to the creation of that tier in 2009, are Serena Williams (13), Victoria Azarenka (10), Iga Swiatek (10), Simona Halep (9) and Petra Kvitova (9).

Overall, Sabalenka won her 19th Hologic WTA Tour singles title by triumphing in Miami. 17 of her 19 titles have come on her beloved hard court, including all three of her Grand Slam singles titles -- the 2023 Australian Open, the 2024 Australian Open and the 2024 US Open, WTA reports.

The 26-year-old didn’t drop a set in any of her six matches as she defeated defending champion Danielle Collins, Olympic gold medalist and ninth-ranked Qinwen Zheng, seventh-ranked Jasmine Paolini and fourth-ranked Pegula, arguably the second-best hard-court player on the planet.

It’s only the second time in Sabalenka’s career that she was able to topple three Top 10 players in a single event, dating back to the 2022 WTA Finals (Pegula, Ons Jabeur and Swiatek).

- IANS

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Reader Comments

M
Marcus T.
What a dominant performance from Sabalenka! She's been so consistent this season. That mentality shift she talked about really shows - staying focused even after getting broken. The way she bounced back in that first set was championship material 👏
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Sarah L.
I love how honest she is about not wanting to lose another final. That vulnerability makes her so relatable! And equaling Sharapova's record at 26? Incredible. Though I wish Pegula could've put up more resistance in the second set 😕
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Jamal K.
Hard court QUEEN! 17/19 titles on hard courts is insane. That serve may have wobbled early but when she's locked in, nobody can touch her power game right now. Miami's trophy case is looking 🔥
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Elena P.
As much as I admire Sabalenka's game, I think the article overstates Pegula being "arguably the second-best hard-court player." Swiatek has better results overall. But no denying Sabalenka was flawless this tournament - not dropping a single set is wild!
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Trevor R.
That stat about beating 3 Top 10 players in one event only happening twice in her career shows how tough this win was. Collins, Zheng, AND Pegula? No easy matches there. She's peaking at the perfect time before clay season!
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Anika B.
The mental growth from last year is what impresses me most. Remember when she used to get so frustrated? Now she just resets and comes back stronger. That's why she's #1 💪 So happy for her after those tough final losses earlier this season!

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