Aryna Sabalenka completes Sunshine Double with Miami Open crown

In a repeat story of her Indian Wells win, world No 1 Sabalenka was tested in a tight final, with Gauff roaring back into contention as she won the second set after the Belarusian faltered.

Yet Sabalenka is showing signs that she is finding a way to control her emotions when the pressure is applied and she turned in a composed performance in the deciding set and broke Gauff at 5-3 to cross the winning line.

The win allowed Sabalenka to take her ranking points total to a stunning 11,025, which is some way ahead of her nearest rival  Elena Rybakina on 8,108 points.

She still has some watch to go to overtake the all-time record for rankings set by Serena Williams, who hit a total of 13,615 when she was at the peak of her powers in June 2013.

If she can add titles to her record at upcoming WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome and then win her first French Open title at Roland Garros, Sabalenka may be getting close to that remarkable points total achieved by Williams.

Sabalenka is also closing in on the second-highest ranking points total of all time, which was record by Iga Swiatek in May 2014 as she got to 11,695 points.

"I haven't had a moment to stop, look back and realise what's happened in the past months," Sabalenka told Sky Sports, as she reflected on her two big wins and her engagement to Georgios Frangulis.

"I'm so proud of the work we've done and the fight I was able to bring on court. Coco will fight for every opportunity and she played incredibly, but I was mentally strong. I knew I was doing everything right and it was just a matter of a few points."

Gauff was gracious in her post-match comments on court, as the Floridian local admitted she was excited to play in front of her home fans and in a familiar stadium.

"It's crazy to be able to talk in this stadium," she said. "I grew up going to all the Dolphins games. It's pretty cool to be on this stage.

"I think it's been a tough couple weeks for me, but always pulling me through. I'm grateful to be here in the final. All the credit goes to him."

She then turned to Sabalenka and added: "You push me to be a better player. Congratulations on all the success on and off the court. You're a great fighter.

"Hopefully we can play many more, I think we will. Congrats to your team as well. Always fun to speak to you guys on tour."

Despite the ongoing problems with her serve, this has to be viewed as a positive tournament for Gauff, but it is Sabalenka who reigns supreme as the queen of women's tennis.

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