Aryna Sabalenka Congratulates Jannik Sinner After His Sunshine Double History

Aryna Sabalenka beat Coco Gauff, while Jannik Sinner beat Jiri Lehecka in the Miami Open finals and achieved the Sunshine Double.

Aryna Sabalenka Congratulates Jannik Sinner After His Sunshine Double History

Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/4K JANNIK SINNER, Ground Pass)

In Short
  • Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner both completed the Sunshine Double, winning the Miami Open and Indian Wells respectively.
  • Sabalenka's victory over Coco Gauff marked her second title of the season, while Sinner's win against Jiri Lehecka was his first title of the year.
  • Sinner has closed the ranking gap to World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, gaining 2,000 points from the two Masters 1000 events.

Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner scripted history on American soil. On Saturday (March 28), Sabalenka defeated home favorite Coco Gauff in the Miami Open final and became the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double.

The following day, Sinner achieved the same after winning the men’s final. The Italian ace dismantled Jiri Lehecka and became the eighth man to achieve the feat. Following his victory, Sabalenka took to Instagram story to congratulate her fellow four-time Grand Slam singles champion, writing, “Forza @janniksin Sunshine Double.”

In the Indian Wells finals, Sabalenka took her revenge on Elena Rybakina with a three-set win, lifting her second title of the season, while Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, winning his first title of the season. For both Sinner and Sabalenka, it was their first victory in the California desert.

Sinner was forced to skip both the Sunshine Double events last year due to his doping ban, but Sabalenka, last year, finished the Indian Wells as the runner-up (lost to Mirra Andreeva), and clinched the Miami Open by beating Jessica Pegula.

The WTA World No.1 has improved her rankings lead (2,917) over World No.2 Rybakina, who reached her career-best ranking of No.2 after her Indian Wells performance. But Sinner, ranked No.2 on the ATP Tour, has closed the ranking gap between him and World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz to 1,190. Sinner gained 2,000 points in the two Masters 1000 events because he had no points to defend.

Last year, Sinner also skipped the Monte Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open, and this means one thing: Sinner will continue to inch closer to dethroning the Spaniard if he wins a few more tournaments on the European clay swing and if Alcaraz fails to defend 4,300 points, given that last year, he reached the final of the Barcelona Open, and won titles in Monte Carlo, Rome, and Paris.

Jannik Sinner compares Sunshine Double and Grand Slam events

What is harder to win? A Grand Slam title or completing the Sunshine Double? Jannik Sinner has achieved both and was asked to compare them during his press conference after the Miami final.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Quindici Zero)

It’s difficult to answer that, difficult to compare. I can’t say; both are very hard, but I feel that Grand Slams are a bit different, best of five sets and over two complete weeks, things can change overnight.

Sinner, in fact, played his fourth final in Miami. He made the title clash in his first appearance back in 2021 (lost to Hubert Hurkacz) before he suffered defeat in another final, this time in 2023, at the hands of Daniil Medvedev. But the following season, he beat Grigor Dimitrov to win his career’s first title in the Sunshine Double events.

You might wake up feeling good, or maybe your body tells you it can’t take it anymore, although this can also happen in a Masters 1000. Physically, it’s tough; it’s normal to arrive here a bit tired if you’ve done well in Indian Wells, although the motivation is high due to the momentum and confidence you’ve built. I don’t know, I really don’t want to compare them.

Jannik Sinner added

Sinner wants to enjoy this moment and is aware that he doesn’t have much time to adapt on clay, where, so far in his career, he has won just one title. He plans to play the Monte Carlo Masters, the main draw of which starts on April 5.

Last year on the clay swing, Sinner made his comeback from his doping ban at the Italian Open, where Carlos Alcaraz defeated him in the final. The seven-time Major champion repeated the result when he met the 24-year-old in the French Open final.

Also read: Coco Gauff Mentions the Olympian Who Inspired Her During Miami Open Run