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Aryna Sabalenka expressed her relief after finally winning her first big title of the 2025 season at the Miami Open. The Belarusian was a runner-up at the Australian Open and the BNP Paribas Open and was happy to finally get over the finish line before heading into the European clay swing.
No. 1 seed Sabalenka was a force to be reckoned with at the WTA 1000 event, defeating Viktoriya Tomova, Elena-Gabriela Ruse (walkover), No. 14 seed and defending champion Danielle Collins, ninth seed Zheng Qinwen, and No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini to set up a meeting with No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula in the showpiece clash.
The Belarusian scored a comfortable 7-5, 6-2 win over the American in the final to win her first WTA 1000 and overall second title of her season. In a recent interaction with the media following her triumph, Aryna Sabalenka expressed her elation on heading into the European clay swing with a bang.
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"Super happy. It was very important win, very important title, and I'm kind of like speechless right now, to be honest. It means a lot and it's very important one," Sabalenka said. "I'm happy to finish hard-court season before going to the clay on a big note."
Aryna Sabalenka also touched upon the importance of this triumph as it came after her two tough losses in Melbourne and Indian Wells. The World No. 1 lost to Madison Keys and Mirra Andreeva at the Australian Open and the BNP Paribas Open final, respectively.
“That’s why this final is very special and very important because after those two tough lessons, I just couldn’t. I couldn’t lose another one. I didn’t want that to get into my head. I was super focused, I'm super happy to win this title."
This was Sabalenka's third consecutive win over Jessica Pegula, and she said, if possible, she would've shared her win with the American.
"You always push me so hard to play my best" - Aryna Sabalenka to Jessica Pegula after the Miami Open final
During the trophy presentation, Aryna Sabalenka apologized to Jessica Pegula and said she would've loved to share her triumph with her. Sabalenka defeated Pegula at the Cincinnati Open final and the US Open last year.
"First of all Jess I’m so sorry," Sabalenka said. "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."
The Belarusian also congratulated the American and her team and knew she would face her in many more finals, but joked that she doesn't want to lose those finals.
