Around two weeks after her triumph in Indian Wells, Aryna Sabalenka won the next 1000 event. In the final of the WTA tournament in Miami, the defending champion defeated the American Coco Gauff (22) 6:2, 4:6, 6:3. The 27-year-old, who had not dropped a set until the final, extended her lead at the top of the world rankings.
After a largely hopeless first set, local hero Gauff offered the Belarusian a self-sacrificing fight, at least in the course of it. She won the second round. However, given Sabalenka’s first set loss, there was only limited real tension: Gauff didn’t know how to punish her opponent’s erratic breakballs because she herself acted too incorrectly.
With her second tournament victory in Florida’s metropolis, which was also her 24th career title, Sabalenka secured $1.15 million in prize money. After successes at the beginning of the year in Brisbane and recently in Indian Wells, it was the third tournament victory for the Belarusian this year.
