World number one Alina Sabalenka won her second title of the year, beating Jessica Pegra 7-5 6-2 in the Women’s Miami Open Finals.
There were seven breaks in the first set of a fierce battle before the Belarusians won the game they loved with Pegra serve.
Sabalenka’s powers have repeatedly driven her out of trouble while Pegra struggled to hold her own serve, along with her inability to deal with the power of her opponent’s game.
Her frustration grew as Sabalenka controlled the second set. The 26-year-old defeated Pegra 5-2 to win the tournament without dropping the set when he hit 31 winners in the match, compared to his rivals 12.
Sabalenka won the Brisbane International in January, but lost to the Miami Open Finals two weeks ago in the loss of the American Madison Keys by American Madison Keys and Myrrh Andreva of the Indian Wells at the Australian Open.
“I’m speechless,” said Sabalenka, who defeated Pegra at the US Open Finals last year. “The final few finals were really tough, tight and intimate for me, so when I got into this I was very focused on myself.
“I was very focused and played point by point, and it was very special and I feel really happy with the title, which is my first in Miami.
“It was going back and forth between the whole match. I was fighting no matter what, and even after each game she broke, I was fighting back and breaking her.”
Meanwhile, British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Grasspool were active in the men’s doubles finals, but lost 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 to top-seeded Marcelo Areva Logonzales and Mate Pavic.
