Aryna Sabalenka apologizes to Jessica Pegula after dashing American's hopes in Miami Open final

Aryna Sabalenka had some heartwarming words for Jessica Pegula after beating the American in the 2025 Miami Open final. The World No. 1 delivered a touching speech dedicated to Pegula before poking fun at herself for how long she spoke.

After suffering a devastating loss to Sabalenka in the 2024 US Open final, Pegula was hoping to avenge her defeat in the title clash at the WTA 1000 event. However, the Belarusian delivered a stellar performance to claim a 7-5, 6-2 victory in one hour and 28 minutes, clinching her first Miami Open title and extending her winning record against Pegula to 7-2.

During the trophy presentation, Aryna Sabalenka brought a smile to Jessica Pegula's face by extending a heartfelt apology and admitting that she would gladly share her trophy, ranking points, and prize money with the American if she could. She also hailed Pegula as incredible player and rival, who consistently pushed her to play her best.

"First of all Jess I’m so sorry. For real. If I could share the trophy with someone, trophy, prize money, points, everything, I would definitely share it with you. I'm sorry for that, but you're an incredible player. You always push me so hard to play my best. I mean, you're a great player," Sabalenka said.

Furthermore, the World No. 1 graciously congratulated Pegula and her team for her impressive run at the Miami Open. Sabalenka also shared that she expected them to lock horns in many more finals and made the 31-year-old crack up by teasing her over the potential results of those matchups.

"Congrats to you and your team on the incredible couple of weeks and I always enjoy playing against you. It's always great battles, great matches, great level of tennis and continue doing what you're doing and I'm pretty sure we're gonna play many more finals," she said.

"I'm not sure about the result because honestly I don't want to lose the finals. It sucks, I know, but I obviously enjoy playing against you. You're an incredible person, player. Thank you so much. Well, that was long. See how much I like this girl," she added.

Despite her loss, Jessica Pegula appeared in high spirits as she joked about no longer wanting to like Aryna Sabalenka after losing three consecutive finals to her. Nevertheless, she asserted that the Belarusian was the best player in the world and congratulated her on her victory.

"It felt like Miami was crying" - Aryna Sabalenka jokes about the rain after beating Jessica Pegula

Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka - Source: Getty

During her humorous winner's speech, Aryna Sabalenka expressed gratitude for the stoppage of the rain. The World No. 1 joked that it had felt like Miami was weeping because she defeated the home favorite Jessica Pegula in the final.

"Thank you that the rain stopped. It felt like Miami was crying that I won this tournament. I'm glad the rain stopped so I can talk a little bit," she said.

Following her Miami Open triumph, Sabalenka will commence her clay season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. The WTA 500 event will begin on April 14.

Before she joins Aryna Sabalenka in Stuttgart, Jessica Pegula will be in action at the Charleston Open, which is scheduled to commence on March 31. The World No. 4 will be the top seed at the WTA 500 event, featuring alongside Madison Keys, Emma Navarro, and Zheng Qinwen.