World number one Aryna Sabalenka secured her first Miami Open title by defeating American Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 in the WTA 1000 event final at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. This victory marks Sabalenka’s second title of 2025, following her Brisbane triumph in January, and her eighth WTA 1000 title overall.
Sabalenka, who had recently lost the Indian Wells final to Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, showed determination not to repeat that outcome in Miami.
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“I’m super happy to have this trophy, I was able to play my best tennis in the final,” said Sabalenka, acknowledging Pegula’s performance and referencing their previous encounter at the US Open final.
The first set was marked by service struggles, featuring seven breaks of serve. Pegula challenged Sabalenka by drawing her to the net, but the momentum shifted when Pegula served at 6-5 down.
Sabalenka secured the first set with a combination of a delicate forehand drop and a down-the-line winner.
Despite losing her first service game in the second set, Sabalenka quickly regained control. She broke twice to establish a 3-1 lead and maintained her dominance to complete the victory in one hour and 27 minutes.
“I think I was able to completely forget about (it being) the final, about the outside things and I was just so focused on the game,” Sabalenka reflected.
The Belarusian has won 12 of her last 14 matches against top 10 players, attributing her success to her performance in crucial moments.
“It is all about those key moments of the match, about playing aggressive and staying with the game plan, going for shots without being afraid of losing the point,” she explained.
This marked Pegula’s third loss to Sabalenka in a final. The American acknowledged Sabalenka’s superiority on hard courts.
“I consider myself one of the world’s best hard-court players, but she’s probably the best,” Pegula stated after the match.
“She just keeps … raising her level in key moments of the match when she needs to, and I feel like that was the big difference today and the last few times I have played her,” Pegula added.
Despite the loss, Pegula expressed satisfaction with her tournament performance: “Happy to be in another big 1000 final and having consistent results and keep going deep in tournaments. The reason we play is to put ourselves in good chances to win these events. I was able to do that the last couple weeks.”
At 26, Sabalenka has accumulated 19 WTA Tour titles, with 17 on hard courts, including three Grand Slam singles titles – the 2023 Australian Open, 2024 Australian Open, and 2024 US Open.
Sabalenka’s on-court demeanour has evolved from her earlier years, showing more composure during challenging moments.
“I think before, every time I would lose my serve, one game, I could just completely lose the match because I would still be thinking about that first game,” she reflected.
Sabalenka credited her past serving challenges for developing a stronger overall game and mental approach.
“When I was struggling with my serve I had to push myself on the return and had to play with something else. So now, every time I am losing (serve) I know that I have weapons, that I can return well and that I can break back,” she said.
“I think that challenge really helped me to be more focused and not get too crazy on court after losing a game on my serve,” she added.
The Miami Open men’s final is scheduled for Sunday, featuring Novak Djokovic against Czech teenager Jakub Mensik, with Djokovic pursuing his 100th professional title.
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