Sabalenka wins her first major title of the year in Miami

After two painful finals losses this year, Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka was crowned on Saturday for the first time at the Miami WTA 1000 tournament by beating American Jessica Pegula in the final. The world number one overcame Pegula (4) by 7-5 and 6-2 putting a finishing touch to two spectacular weeks in Florida in which she did not yield a single set.

Sabalenka thus claimed her first major trophy of the year after unexpected defeats in the Australian Open final, where Madison Keys denied her a third consecutive crown, and the WTA 1000 Indian Wells, where she was ambushed by 17-year-old Russian gem Mirra Andreeva.

"I've really enjoyed playing here, I've enjoyed every minute of it. Winning this trophy is very special for me," Sabalenka said in remarks picked up by AFP at the awards ceremony. In her latest display, the Belarusian star dealt the experienced Pegula a heavy third defeat in front of her home crowd.

"You are the best player in the world for a reason"

At the end of last year, the player from Buffalo (New York) already took a knee to the number one in the finals of the WTA 1000 Cincinnati and the US Open, the first Grand Slam of her career.

"Three finals ... You're the best player in the world for a reason," the American said resignedly. "You keep pushing all of us and challenging us to get better (...) Congratulations on this amazing couple of weeks here and a great tournament in Indian Wells. This tennis you are playing is unbelievable."

"You are a fantastic player," Sabalenka acknowledged her in turn. "Keep it up and I'm sure we will play more finals. I'm not sure about the result because, honestly, it sucks to lose in finals, I know that."

A resounding victory

Sabalenka's triumph resets the hierarchy of the tour's top women after the first three WTA 1000 titles of the year went to players then outside the Top-10: Andreeva (Indian Wells and Dubai) and American Amanda Anisimova (Doha).

After a rain delay, the final got underway under a strong wind that contributed to Pegula and Sabalenka splitting a total of 11 'breaks'. The Belarusian was the first to break and took a 2-0 lead in the opening set but the home player reacted immediately pocketing the next three games.

The American appealed to the steely conviction with which she managed to knock down the young Filipino Alexandra Eala, the tournament’s biggest surprise, by eliminating Iga Swiatek and two other Grand Slam champions.

The demolishing forehand that today imposes its law in the circuit

The daughter of tycoon Terry Pegula, owner of the Buffalo Bills of the NFL, again resisted when Sabalenka, with a 5-3 lead, served to take the first set. The Belarusian, however, was already coming into combustion and soon took control of the game thanks to the demolishing forehand that today imposes its law in the circuit.

With more matches won than anyone else this year (23), Sabalenka sealed a resounding victory in one of the few fast court tournaments that resisted her, where she had never gone past the quarterfinals. Widening her lead over Swiatek at the top of the WTA, the Belarusian lifted her eighth WTA 1000 title and the nineteenth of her career, seventeen of them on hard court.