Sabalenka to Face Gauff in Miami Open Final

Miami: Aryna Sabalenka stormed into the Miami Open final with a commanding 6-4, 6-3 straight-sets victory over Elena Rybakina, moving within one win of completing the coveted Sunshine Double.

The victory marked Sabalenka’s 10th win over Rybakina in their 17 meetings on the WTA Tour and secured her place in a second consecutive Miami final. She also became the first player since 2023-24 to reach back-to-back finals at the event, and the first World No. 1 to do so since Serena Williams’ run from 2013 to 2015.

The opening set remained tight until Sabalenka broke at 4-5, sealing it with a sharp cross-court backhand followed by a powerful overhead. She carried that momentum into the second set, racing to a 4-0 lead before comfortably serving out the match. The Belarusian celebrated by signing the camera lens with her nickname, “Tiger.”

Sabalenka is now the fourth player this century to reach the final in her first four WTA events of a season, joining Martina Hingis, Serena Williams, and Victoria Azarenka.

She will now take on home favourite Coco Gauff, who cruised into her maiden Miami Open final with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Karolina Muchova. After dropping an early break, Gauff won 12 of the last 13 games to seal victory in style.

Sabalenka will aim to win back-to-back titles and become the first player since Iga Swiatek in 2022 to complete the Sunshine Double. The rivalry between Sabalenka and Gauff remains evenly poised, with both players tied at six wins each in their 12 previous meetings.