It’s been a historic week in tennis, with both Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka claiming the Sunshine Double. For the first time in a decade, Indian Wells and Miami have both been won by the same ATP and WTA player. If you missed any of it, read on, as I breakdown all the big storylines.
Last week’s tennis results
Here’s how each final unfolded in Miami Over the weekend:
- Miami Open (ATP 1000) – Jannik Sinner beat Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4
- Miami Open (WTA 1000) – Aryna Sabalenka beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
When Carlos Alcaraz exited early in Miami, the stage was set for Sinner to roll on and win his maiden Sunshine Double. That’s exactly what the Italian did, in emphatic fashion. Sunday’s final against Lehecka was a reflection of how things have been the past 12 days for the world No 2 – no sets dropped, nigh on unplayable. He’s now won 34 sets in a row at the Masters 1000 level, and improves his Miami record to 19-3.
For Sabalenka, her path to her second straight Miami title was almost as smooth. The Belarusian saw off arch nemesis Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-3 in the semi-finals, and while she did drop a set to Gauff in the final, largely looked in control throughout. She’s now No 1 in the WTA Race and improves her 2026 record to 23-1, with just the one defeat in the final of the Australian Open.
Fils produces comeback of the year
Earlier in the week, it was Arthur Fils grabbing headlines as he roared back from 2-6 down in the third set tiebreak, saving four straight match points to defeat Tommy Paul and make the semi-finals. Those following my Miami Open best bets ahead of the tournament will have earned themselves a handy payout on tennis betting sites for this result.
The Frenchman heads into the 2026 clay swing in brilliant form, having won 11 of his last 14 matches thanks to a final in Doha then quarter-final and semi-final runs over the Sunshine Double.
Gauff doesn’t want to be your daddy
While Gauff didn’t manage to add to her trophy cabinet in Miami, she did create a hilarious viral moment when questioned about her dominance over Karolina Muchova. Having won all six of her meetings against the Czech, Gauff was asked if she’d like to be referred to as Muchova’s “daddy” moving forward. The American was rather embarrassed and suggested perhaps the WTA Tour could coin an alternative term – but quickly ruled out “mommy”.
Goffin to retire in 2026
Former world No 7 David Goffin announced this week that he’d be retiring in 2026. The 35-year-old Belgian hit his career high almost a decade ago off the back of runs to the last eight in Paris and Melbourne, and has racked up a total of six ATP-level trophies, most recently in 2022. He’s one of a handful of active players with wins over each of the Big Three.
Ivanisevic on working with Tsitsipas: “I knew on the second day”
One of the juicer nuggets of tennis drama dropped just a few hours ago, with Goran Ivanisevic giving an interview where he opened up on his time coaching Stefanos Tsitsipas last year. The Croat, who is a former world No 2 and worked with Novak Djokovic for six years, did not hold back:
“I knew after the second day of training that it would not succeed,” he said to Sportklub.
“When he came to Zagreb to try rackets, I understood that it wouldn’t work out. In the end, I didn’t say anything bad; everything I stated was true and proved to be so.
“After Wimbledon, I advised him to take four months off because it wasn’t just a physical issue but also mental.
“He remains a phenomenal player, he was and still is, but those are just details. In today’s tennis, you can’t compete without being mentally prepared.”
In the same interview, Ivanisevic declared that he believes 38-year-old Djokovic will win a 25th Grand Slam:
“If I hadn’t worked with Novak, I might have said it’s not possible,” he explained.
“But since I’ve known him and watched him for five years, the words ‘I can’t’ and ‘impossible’ do not exist with him; that doesn’t exist in his vocabulary.
“It’s possible, of course it’s possible. When I think of the final in Australia, he’s there, you can never write him off. If he’s ready in his head and focused, that’s it.”
Coming up this week
- Charleston Open (WTA 500)
- Bogota Open (WTA 250)
- Tiriac Open (ATP 250)
- Marrakech Open (ATP 250)
- Houston Open (ATP 250)
This week is the calm before the storm, as both tours switch from hard courts to clay. On the one hand, there are five tournaments taking place, but on the other, most big names are taking the week off ahead of larger events (such as the Monte Carlo Masters) next week.
For the women, Jessica Pegula is the highest profile star competing, with the American top seed in Charleston. Ekaterina Alexandrova, Belinda Bencic and Iva Jovic are in the mix too.
For the men, there are a host of Americans on court in Houston, as the likes of Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Learner Tien are all playing. Over in Marrakech, Luciano Darderi is top seed while Gabriel Diallo leads the draw in Bucharest.
