This has been a month to remember for Aryna Sabalenka. She got a truly adorable cocker spaniel puppy called Ash. Her boyfriend of two years, Georgios Frangulis, proposed with an enormous diamond ring and she won the Sunshine Double! The Indian Wells and Miami tournaments sprawl over almost four weeks, and it takes some adjustment to go from the dry, windy desert air of Indian Wells to the humid conditions in Miami. Only four women have done it before: Steffi Graf (twice), Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Iga Świątek. Aryna Sabalenka adds her name to that illustrious list with a superb few weeks.

The match of the whole run was undoubtedly the Indian Wells final against Elena Rybakina — a rematch of the Australian Open final that Rybakina won. It was also a match that could have changed the narrative around Sabalenka big time. Despite her lead in the rankings, she had been beaten by a sublime Rybakina at the WTA Finals in Riyadh at the end of 2025. Sabalenka had blinked when she led 3–0 in the final set of the Australian Open. Was Rybakina about to crown herself the real number one player?

Rybakina started superbly — exactly where she had left off in Riyadh and Melbourne — and took the opening set 6–3. When she broke Sabalenka’s serve early in the second, it seemed Rybakina was about to make the step up. But Aryna Sabalenka has been world number one for so long for a reason, and she showed her fighting spirit to break back as Rybakina began to feel the heat of the conditions and Sabalenka’s will. Still, it is Aryna, so there was more drama to come as she served for the title at 5–4 in the third set, only for Rybakina to swing big and Sabalenka to once again look a little unsure. When the match went to a final‑set tie‑break, a whole stack of records was on the line. Rybakina had won her last TWELVE matches against top‑10 players. Sabalenka’s tie‑break record is amazing. She won 22 in a row last year but ended the year losing one to Pegula in Wuhan and, most catastrophically, the WTA Finals final to Rybakina 0–7. Still, she had restarted her run in 2026 with four straight tie‑break wins, putting her at an insane 26–3 since the start of 2025. Something had to give…

When Rybakina hit a glorious winner down the line at 5–5 to give herself a match point, things looked to be going her way. However, the following point is one I will remember for many years.

Rybakina hit a 121mph serve. Sabalenka then hit two of the most perfectly aggressive backhands to leave Rybakina flat footed and to save the match point. Two points later it was all over and Aryna finally had her Indian Wells trophy after two runner up finishes.

Even more importantly, she got the win over Rybakina — and in a final. Sabalenka’s finals record is barely more than 50% despite reaching so many of them! This Indian Wells victory in such a tight match was huge for her.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and Sabalenka would once again face Rybakina in the semifinals of the Miami tournament. While Rybakina had overtaken Iga Świątek for the number 2 spot in the rankings, Miami had done their draw earlier, so Aryna and Elena had ended up in the same half. Unfortunately for Rybakina fans, this one wasn’t that close. After struggling a little through the early rounds, this was Sabalenka’s best performance of the tournament. She served superbly — for once out‑serving Rybakina — and was fully in control in a 6–4, 6–3 win.

Her opponent in the Miami final was another familiar foe — Coco Gauff. You can’t talk about Sabalenka and Gauff without referring to the Roland Garros 2025 final and its fallout. The players are fine with it, but Sabalenka haters will NEVER forget! Gauff also has a phenomenal finals record: 11 titles from 14 finals, and 9–0 in hard‑court finals before this final. Her game undoubtedly gives Sabalenka trouble, mostly because of her superb defensive skills. Coco moves better than anyone on tour and so often gets one more ball back than anyone else, drawing errors from her opponents.

I will be honest, I am not a big Coco Gauff fan. I hugely admire her athleticism, but her game is one that tends to bring out the worst in her opponents! Off the top of my head, the Australian Open match against Marta Kostyuk a few years back and her match against Madison Keys at Roland Garros stand out in my memory — matches full of horrible errors. Maybe it’s just me, as the WTA decided to make the absolute shitshow of a match between Gauff and Qinwen Zheng in Rome last year their match of the year for 2025! However, as it was fan‑voted, I’m guessing the Qinwen fans mobilised, because it was typical of the matches Gauff plays — she is a fantastic competitor and “wins ugly” a lot. Right now her serve and forehand are incredibly variable. Multiple double faults and errors are common. Yet here she is in the Miami final and has just overtaken Iga Świątek as world number 3. Gauff just finds a way!

The question was whether she would find a way past Sabalenka to ruin her Sunshine Double dreams. Gauff’s two slam titles were over Sabalenka in quite similar matches. At the US Open in 2023 and Roland Garros in 2025, Sabalenka had won the first set and Gauff had fought back — but both were mental and emotional slip‑ups from Sabalenka. Would Gauff get in her head again?

To be honest, there was a chance. Sabalenka continued the terrific tennis from her semifinal win over Rybakina in a dominant first set, taking it 6–2. The second set was tighter, edgier, and much closer. Coco was using height on her forehand — which was pretty good on the whole — and her short sliced serves were proving quite effective. Aryna began to look a bit tight, missing a few shots, but to be honest it was one game that changed things. Serving to stay in the set at 4–5, the Sabalenka backhand went awry with some loose errors and before you knew it, Coco was fist‑pumping, having levelled the match.

Sabalenka has often spoken about learning lessons — but then goes out and loses another final she could have won! Was this about to be a further painful example? Well no, it wasn’t! I’d argue it was a reoccurrence of an old Coco Gauff weakness — her unreliable serve. The first game of set 3 was the key. Gauff served two aces but also two double faults. Aryna loves presents! Just as Coco had leapt on Sabalenka’s wobble in the previous game to snatch the second set, Aryna saw her chance to get the early break and went for her shots. It proved crucial, keeping her ahead on the scoreboard, although she ultimately got another break to win the title 6–2, 4–6, 6–3.

For me this match was not a classic, as both made quite a lot of errors, but it was a terrific battle. After the power duel against Rybakina in Indian Wells, this was an arm‑wrestle with Coco Gauff in Miami. Both used angles, Sabalenka mixed up her return position a lot — Coco perhaps should have done to be more aggressive on Sabalenka’s second serve. There was a lot of attack and defence from both sides and it was enthralling stuff. But ultimately, Aryna Sabalenka ends the month with three‑set wins over her two closest rivals, Rybakina and Gauff, and two nice trophies. Plus a dog, a diamond ring, and a fiancé!

But wait, that’s not all! Yeah yeah, Yannik Sinner won the Sunshine double too and wthout dropping a set but the really big story (for me anyway!) was Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend also completed the Sunshine double with wins over Danilina and Krunic in Indian Wells and Errani and Paolini in Miami.

For Katerina Siniakova, Miami has often been a bogey tournament. Indeed Taylor Townsend managed to get concussion in Miami last year! Siniakova had a memorable singles win over defending champion Mirra Andreeva in Indian Wells where Mirra had another of her far too frequent meltdowns. Siniakova is not exactly cool headed on court so a terrific win. Her run to the last 16 was a good one, with wins over Sofia Kenin, Leylah Fernandez and Andreeva. The Indian Wells doubles final saw them get revenge over Anna Danilina and Alex Krunic who had beaten them at Roland Garros and the Australian Open.

The Miami run was relatively straightforward but a bit of a struggle in the semifinals and first set of the final. Miami rain forced them off the main stadium court a point away from a tight first set tie break against Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini. After that rain delay, it was all Katka and Taylor. They won the tie break 7-0 and the set 6-1 for a notable title.

This is their fifth title together. Two slams, three 1000 level titles. Good vibes all round.