The 2026 Sunshine Double is in the books after Saturday’s women’s final. It was a wet start to the tournament including one day of play that was completely washed out but the second week ran much smoother. There was a time about ten years ago when Miami > Indian Wells. That has definitely flipped for me although I did enjoy this edition of Miami more than in previous years. Let’s take a look at some memorable moments from Miami. Next stop – the clay!
Champion 🏆
Aryna Sabalenka beat Coco Gauff, 6-2 4-6 6-3, to secure the Sunshine Double and win both Indian Wells and Miami. It was a decent final – in fact, the three biggest finals this year have all been good and gone the distance. Gauff was her usual gutsy self to dig in and win the second set. The serve and forehand were both pretty solid, particularly in the second set, and she did a great job at dolloping the ball into uncomfortable positions which made it harder for Sabalenka to tee off.
Sabalenka won’t be happy with how the second set slipped from her grasp. Yet again, it was all about the resilience and putting that disappointment behind her as Sabalenka wrestled back the momentum and stamped her authority on the third set with an early break of serve (with some help from Gauff who hit two double faults). Sabalenka never wavered mentally and played an excellent final set as she bookended it with another break of serve to win the whole caboodle.
This is peak Sabalenka right now and she’s had a sensational start to the season, winning 23 of 24 matches so far in 2026. The final certainly wasn’t vintage Saba, like the semi-final win over Rybakina, but considering the occasion against a home crowd and playing such a tenacious opponent who has thwarted her before in big finals, it was a superb performance. For Gauff, while she mostly had a good day on serve, it was ultimately her downfall in the third set as Sabalenka gives so little away these days. It’s pleasing to see Coco playing better and it’s come at a good time before the clay court season where she defends a lot of points. No matter what woes she may face on serve or with the forehand, she’s going to be bloody tough to beat on the dirt.
Best Matches 🎾
The final was up there as one of the best matches of the tournament. I found myself enjoying bits of matches rather than entire matches. Along with Sabalenka-Gauff, here are my nominations for favourite matches from Miami.
Karolina Muchova d. Victoria Mboko, 7-5 7-6(5) (QF): Highest quality match from start to finish although i’m biased because I love them both! It was a serving clinic and the match came down to just a few points. Mboko had opportunities to win both sets when leading 5-4, including a set point in the second set, but Muchova was mostly clutch to win in straights.
Elena Rybakina d. Jessica Pegula, 2-6 6-3 6-4 (QF): The third set was insane quality, the best set of the tournament. There were so many flashy winners and Pegula hit some fantastic returns. Rybakina stood tall and was clutch to serve it out. Ultimately, Pegula’s dip in level and attitude in a small stretch between the middle of the second set and the start of the third set was the difference.
Coco Gauff d. Belinda Bencic, 6-3 1-6 6-3 (QF): Particularly enjoyed the third set as the pair battled out some cracking all-court rallies. Gauff was awesome at the end as she won the last four games of the match.
Sorana Cirstea d. Linda Noskova, 6-2 3-6 6-4 (R2): Another entertaining match between Noskova and Cirstea although not quite as flashy as their match at Indian Wells. Cirstea turned the tables on Noskova from their meeting in the desert and front-ran the third set superbly.
Best Shot 😱
The Gauff-Bencic match point was fantastic. Coco was everywhere!
Biggest Upset 😱
Iga Swiatek’s woes continued as she lost her opening match in Miami to fellow compatriot, Magda Linette, 6-1 5-7 3-6. It was the first time since 2021 and the Guadalajara WTA Finals (Christopher Robin!) that Swiatek lost her opening match at tournament. The result was the final straw as Swiatek confirmed a few days later that she had parted ways with her coach, Wim Fissette.
Handshakes & Hugs 🤗
This will be tough to beat for best handshake moment of 2026 🥺. Love that Fran and Venus hugged! One of my favourite moments from Miami.
Funniest moment 😂
They did a similar video a few years back at Indian Wells with the players working at the tournament and this was another classic 😂.
Favourite Interview 📺
Iva Jovic is a great listen. Liked her response to the question about dealing with a few struggles post-Australian Open.
Five thoughts 🤔
An in-form and healthy Karolina Muchova is soothing for the soul. I’m going to bypass the semi-final beating at the hands of Gauff to focus on the feat of reaching another semi-final in 2026. The quarter-final win over Mboko was some of Mucky’s best work.
Another tournament, another quarter-final for Victoria Mboko. Her composure at 19 years old is next level. I said she’ll be competing for Slams in a year or two in my AO review post but I think Mboko will be in the mix for the French Open at this rate.
I think this is the best level i’ve ever seen from Jessica Pegula. Her serve is significantly improved and she seems to be winning many more free points off it. I guess there are still question marks around Pegula’s mentality against the likes of Ryba and Saba but they are so damn good right now.
Talia Gibson proved that Indian Wells was no flash in the plan as she scored five wins in Miami including top 20 wins over Osaka and Jovic. It took an in-form Rybakina to end Gibson’s run.
Sorana Cirstea is playing top 20 level tennis right now and might just crack her best ranking in what is set to be her final year on tour.
Feature Photo: Omar Boraby Photography