Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 to win the trophy of the strong WTA 1000 tournament in Miami. The world number 1 won the title after nearly an hour and a half on the court.

The first set went up and down, with both finalists being endlessly inconsistent in their game. However, Sabalenka won the set 7-5 after a total of seven breaks - 4-3 in her favor. The second one began with a break for the home representative and fourth in the scheme, but Pegula had no strength for anything more and lost six of the next seven games, and with that the final.

Thus Sabalenka won the eighth WTA 1000 title of her career and her first in Miami. The women's world number one has shown that she is getting into shape after losing to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final. This is the Belarusian's second trophy since the beginning of the year, after the one in Brisbane in January. Before Miami, she played in the final in Indian Wells, where she was stopped by Russian teenager Mira Andreeva.

Pegula, who lost to Sabalenka in the finals in Cincinnati and the US Open last year, remains with seven trophies in her collection.

The new champion in the men's tournament in Miami will also become clear tonight. In a dispute for the trophy, 19-year-old Czech Jakub Menšík will face six-time winner Novak Djokovic. | BGNES