First Ball Forehand

Miami: Aryna Sabalenka sees off Jessica Pegula to snap losing streak in finals

/

,

Aryna Sabalenka has just landed her first Miami Open title after ousting home favorite Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 in just less than an hour and a half of play. 

After losing back-to-back finals at the Australian Open and Indian Wells, the Belarusian didn’t hide before the Miami title match that she didn’t want to pick up a third consecutive final loss. And after succeeding in her goal, the top-seeded Belarusian’s reaction said it all. 

Early on in the final, there wasn’t much consistency on either side as both players struggled to hold to their serve. But after failing to serve out for the first set at 5-3, Sabalenka stepped up in the 12th game – broke Pegula to love – and claimed the opener. 

After losing the first set, the American tennis star earned a break in the opening game of the second set but her lead was very short-lived as the Belarusian responded with breaks in the second, fourth and eighth games to complete a two-set win in style.

Sabalenka now has two titles in 2025 (she won Brisbane in the first week of the season) and also improved to 19 career titles. 

Sabalenka beats Pegula in back-to-back finals on the big stage 

Half a year ago, the world No. 1 beat the 31-year-old American 7-5 7-5 in the US Open final. Today – in their first meeting since the US Open – the Belarusian ended triumphant again in a WTA 1000 final.

And after falling short to Sabalenka again, Pegula had a classy message for her rival.

“Congrats Aryna to you and your team. Three finals. I really don’t wanna like you right now, but you’re the best player in the world for a reason. You keep pushing and challenging everyone to get better. Congrats for an amazing couple of weeks here. Great tournament at Indian Wells too. The last month of tennis you’ve been able to play is amazing,” Pegula said.

​Tennis World USA

​

Thanks for reading! Ready to elevate your game? Explore myAI Tennis Coach for AI-powered coaching and match strategies or check out my book, Stop Losing!, for winning tips. Don’t forget to explore our Live Scores page for the latest results and highlights. Stay tuned for more updates—see you on the court!

In:

,
, , , , , , , , ,