MIAMI — Coco Gauff, the Delray Beach native playing her first Miami Open final, dug deep in front of a loving sellout crowd to force a third set, but top-ranked and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka proved too tough and prevailed 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon.

Sabalenka took home the $1.15 million winner’s check and became the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami titles back-to-back), joining Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Iga Swiatek. She improved to 23-1 this season with her only loss at the Australian Open.

The victory capped an unforgettable month for Sabalenka, the Belarusian Miami resident, who got engaged to Brazilian entrepreneur Georgios Frangulis and got a new puppy named Ash, a brown-and-white Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named after tennis legend Arthur Ashe.

“Dog, engagement, Sunshine Double, it sounds surreal,” she said. She also thanked the Brazilians in the crowd of 16,830, who adopted her as their own since her engagement.

After the match, sitting on her courtside chair awaiting the trophy presentation, Gauff teared up and was overcome with gratitude and joy as she reflected on her deep run in a tournament that meant so much more to her than the trophy and $612,340 runner-up check.

Playing so close to home not only meant being near family and lifelong friends, sleeping in her own bed and saving money on hotel and flights, it also meant unwavering support from Hard Rock Stadium staff that she doesn’t get anywhere else.

“The janitors, locker room attendants, the people who make my pasta, the amount of support I’ve gotten throughout this week is something that makes this tournament special,” Gauff said. “People coming up and saying `I prayed for you.’ I don’t get that anywhere else in the world. And these are real people, hard workers, and just seeing how much joy they have from seeing me makes the experience all worth it.”

Gauff shared that some staff members asked her to sign balls and take photos with her, even though that was against the rules. “And I’d say, `Let’s go in the closet and do it there’, because it doesn’t bother me.”

She added that she was recently inspired by Olympic gold medalist figure skater Alysia Liu, whose joy and free spirit on the ice made her a fan favorite.

“Even now, when I was walking over here [to the press conference], the staff was being so kind to me and saying `We’re proud of you.’ It made me think, `How can I not be proud of this experience when hundreds of people are telling me this?’ So, I’m grateful for this tournament.”

It was the seventh time in the 13 meetings between Sabalenka and Gauff that the match required a third-set decider and Sabalenka now holds a 7-6 edge in the head-to-head series. It was the fifth three-set match for Gauff in a week.

Gauff, 22, was the youngest American to reach the final at the Miami Open since Serena Williams in 2003. She had never gotten past the Round of 16 at this tournament in three previous tries.

“It’s pretty cool to be on this stage, Aryna, you push me to be a better player,” Gauff said during her on-court post-match remarks. “I’m getting a little emotional, but not sad tears.”

Sabalenka cruised through the first set in 37 minutes, and it looked like maybe this would be a lopsided result. But Gauff pushed herself hard to hold service after letting a 40-0 lead slip at 2-2 in the second set. She saved break point and held on to take a 3-2 lead, which ignited the crowd.

Then, in the final game of the second set, she broke Sabalenka to force the deciding set. Gauff pumped her fist and shouted, “Yes! Let’s Go!”

But Sabalenka was not about to fold. On the contrary. She got stronger, unleashing her big serve and powerful groundstrokes.

She immediately broke Gauff’s serve in the opening game of third set, letting the American, and the crowd, know that the momentum was back on her side.

“I knew she was going to try her very best to fight in this match, a couple of things didn’t go well in the last game of the second set, but I just stayed positive going into the third set and I’m super happy how well I handled my emotions and stayed focused,” Sabalenka said.

“I was like, `There’s no way I will lose it. I’ll be fighting for every point, every moment. I kept constantly reminding myself how strong I am and that I got it. Whenever I am doubting my ability, I am like `No, no, no, no, no, you’re strong. You got this.’’’

Italian team wins men’s doubles title

In the men’s doubles final Saturday, No. 7 seeded Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori beat No. 4 Harri Heliovaara (FIN) and Henry Patten (GBR) 6-4, 6-2.

It was the first Masters 1000 title for the Italian duo, who had reached Grand Slam doubles finals at the 2024 and 2025 Australian Open and 2025 French Open. Bolelli, 40, became the first Italian man in the Open Era to win 20 doubles titles.

Bolelli dedicated the victory to his father, Daniel, who is ill.

“He’s facing a really tough time, he has a big disease at the moment,” Bolelli said. “He is trying to get better, but it is tough. But he’s not giving up. He’s fighting. It is tough for me because we are always traveling.”

Vavassori said of his teammate: “I am really proud of him. It’s one of the toughest moments and he played unbelievable tennis. It’s a story to be told for other people. Tennis is important for us, but there are things that are more important.”

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