Former World No.1 Explains Reasons Behind Aryna Sabalenka’s Sunshine Double Dominance

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff en route to her Miami Open triumph.

Former World No.1 Explains Reasons Behind Aryna Sabalenka’s Sunshine Double Dominance

Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/Tiempo De Tenis)

In Short
  • Aryna Sabalenka won the Sunshine Double, defeating Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff.
  • She improved her second serve and mental composure after losing the Australian Open final.
  • Sabalenka has reached the final in every tournament this season, winning three of four.

Aryna Sabalenka dropped just two sets en route to her Sunshine Double triumph. The Belarusian star defeated Elena Rybakina twice and Coco Gauff once to earn her place in the history of the WTA. Former World No.1 Kim Clijsters has analyzed that Sabalenka’s victory was a result of her deliberate revolution following the Australian Open final.

Sabalenka fell to Rybakina in the Australian Open final, despite being the favorite to win the championship. The World No.1 lost in three sets to the Kazakhstan star and later admitted that she needs to change things in her game to ensure she stops losing in the finals of tournaments. At that time, she had lost five finals in just twelve months.

The Belarusian star didn’t participate in the Middle East swing, citing injury. However, in her absence from the tour, she used that time to change things in her game, especially in her second serve, where there was an amazing improvement. The result was obvious throughout the Sunshine Double.

She defeated Rybakina in the final of the Indian Wells Open and breezed past the World No.2 in the semi-finals of the Miami Open. Sabalenka faced Gauff in the final of the Miami Open, beating the American star in three sets to become the first woman since Ashleigh Barty in 2021 to complete the Sunshine Double.

The win ensured that Sabalenka will extend her lead at the top of the WTA rankings and surpass 75 consecutive weeks as World No.1. The back-to-back WTA 1000 titles reinforce her consistency across the circuit. Clijsters revealed in her latest episode of Love All podcast that Sabalenka adapted both technically and mentally across the two tournaments:

We saw her changing up the second serve a little bit more, instead of hitting a deeper, flatter second serve like she did in the past. She’s now using a bit more kick at times. It’s not that it’s a better serve, but it’s the variety that makes your opponent think—do I step back, do I take it early? You surprise your opponent with that, and it takes away from Rybakina’s side of the court where she can just swing freely and start dominating the rally, which is what they’re both trying to do first.

Sabalenka has won three of the four tournaments she has featured in this season. The 27-year-old has also reached the final of every tournament that she has played in this year, a trend that she began last season. Her consistency on the court has seen her become the favorite in any tournament she participates in.

Kim Clijsters says Aryna Sabalenka has become better at managing her problems in final clashes

Previously, one of Aryna Sabalenka’s biggest problems was to remain calm in crucial moments of final matches. She was heavily criticized for allowing her emotions to get the better of her when things didn’t go her way in the middle of a championship match. That was noticeable against Coco Gauff at the 2025 French Open final and Elena Rybakina at the 2026 Australian Open.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/HQ Pics)

But at the Sunshine Double, Sabalenka looked like a transformed player on the court as she looked more relaxed and calm, even when under pressure. During the aforementioned conversation, Kim Clijsters pointed out that Sabalenka didn’t give away cheap points in the final of the Indian Wells and Miami Open:

That backhand cross-court on match point just shows the mindset and confidence that you need. To go for that shot in that moment was incredible. There were unforced errors, but they were good mistakes because they were going for it. They weren’t hesitant. That does something to your opponent mentally as well. It shows that it’s going to take a lot more than just hitting great shots to break your opponent.

Sabalenka will be back on the court at the Stuttgart Open in Germany. The tournament will kick off on April 13. The Belarusian star reached the final of the tournament last year but didn’t win the event as he lost to Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets.

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