Aryna Sabalenka captures first Miami Open crown, sweeps Jessica Pegula in straight sets
Sabalenka ends Miami wait with a commanding win
Aryna Sabalenka walked into Miami Gardens with two fresh final losses on her mind and walked out with a first Miami Open crown, a clean slate for the week, and a statement to the rest of the tour. The World No. 1 beat fourth seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in 1 hour 28 minutes, closing out a rain-frayed final with a backhand passing shot and both arms raised to the sky.
The match started late after a weather delay of more than an hour, but Sabalenka settled faster. Even though she was broken three times in the opening set, she refused to blink in the biggest moments. At 5-6, with the set on Pegula’s racket, the Belarusian cranked up the return and pinched the break she needed, 7-5. From there, the second set ran on her terms—she accelerated early, took time away from Pegula, and finished the job 6-2.
The blueprint was no mystery: pace and depth. Sabalenka’s forehand did the heaviest lifting, producing 22 winners on that wing alone. When the rallies stretched, she stepped in and flattened the ball through the court; when Pegula tried to wrestle the tempo back, Sabalenka met her on the baseline and hit through the gaps. The last point captured the night—Pegula probing for an opening, Sabalenka changing direction and knifing a backhand pass.
It’s her first Miami title and her eighth WTA 1000 trophy, which pulls her level with Maria Sharapova in the tier’s record books. Since the WTA introduced the 1000 level in 2009, only a handful of players sit ahead of her:
- Serena Williams — 13
- Victoria Azarenka — 10
- Iga Swiatek — 10
- Simona Halep — 9
- Petra Kvitova — 9
Miami also becomes her 19th career singles title, and here’s a telling stat for the surface trend-watchers: 17 of those have come on hard courts. Put simply, this is the environment where her game bites hardest—big first strikes, punishing returns, and the confidence to take the ball early.
There was a mental hurdle, too. Sabalenka came into this final off tight losses in Melbourne and Indian Wells—falling to Madison Keys at the Australian Open and to Mirra Andreeva in the California desert. Miami can be unforgiving with heat, humidity, and the stop-start rhythm of rain, yet she produced her most measured run of 2025: she did not drop a set all tournament. Along the way, she knocked out defending champion Danielle Collins in the fourth round, a win that signaled where her level really was.
Pegula, a consistent presence in the top tier, knows this matchup well. Saturday’s final doubled as a sequel to their 2024 US Open title match, and the head-to-head now tilts 7-2 in Sabalenka’s favor. Pegula tried to change patterns—mixing height and redirecting line—but too many baseline exchanges ended with Sabalenka dictating off the forehand. The margins in the first set were fine; once Sabalenka took that, Pegula was always chasing.
The win came with a $1.1 million champion’s check and a fresh layer of authority on the Sunshine Swing. She didn’t complete the “double,” but bouncing from a runner-up finish in Indian Wells to a title in Miami is a strong springboard into clay. The bigger point is rhythm—three finals in the first quarter of the season, and the last one finally played on her terms.
Sabalenka kept the post-match mood light after the delay, joking that it felt like Miami was “crying” that she won. She also said she was relieved to bring her best in a final again—something she’d been chasing since January. The tone fit the performance: serious when it mattered, expressive when the pressure broke.
What the win means—and the wider ripple
Beyond the trophy, this result cements the WTA 1000 picture. Sabalenka’s eighth title at this level ties her with Sharapova and keeps her within reach of the all-time leaders, a tier that now includes Swiatek and Azarenka in double digits. For a 26-year-old with three majors already, the pacing is notable. It’s not just peak performance; it’s sustained high-level output at the tour’s biggest non-Slam stops.
Hard-court dominance matters for the season arc, too. With 17 of 19 titles on the surface, Sabalenka’s base level is high enough to handle tough draws, weather interruptions, and the pressure of expectation. It showed this week in the way she cleaned up the key points. Even when the first set went ragged with exchanged breaks, she was the one who kept hitting through the line of the ball.
The final also adds a layer to her rivalry with Pegula. The American’s game—clean patterns, smart choices, excellent backhand redirect—usually tests Sabalenka’s patience. But when Sabalenka finds the range early, the matchup shifts. Saturday had that feel. Pegula got looks, especially in the first set, but struggled to neutralize Sabalenka’s first strike and second-shot forehand.
Miami gave fans more than a heavyweight final. Alexandra Eala delivered one of the week’s most memorable runs, becoming the first Filipina to defeat a top-10 player since official WTA rankings began in 1975. She reached the semifinals—historic for her country at both WTA Tour and WTA 1000 level—and cracked the top 100 for the first time. For Philippine tennis, that’s a marker: a young player pushing deep at a premier event against elite opposition.
Zoom out, and the tournament told a clear story. Sabalenka brought order back to her season after two narrow final losses. Pegula kept putting herself into big stages, a habit that sustains ranking and confidence. And the field showed depth—where a teenager like Andreeva can win Indian Wells, and a rising talent like Eala can punch through to the last four two weeks later.
Next up is clay, where tempo and shot tolerance shift the equation. Sabalenka’s power still plays, but the points breathe longer, and choices matter more. Coming in with a title, a no-sets-lost week, and the feel of clean contact is exactly the carry-on you want for April and May. For now, Miami belongs to the No. 1—fast court, fast hands, and a finish that matched the billing.
