There was plenty of star power present on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz this past week, with three of the Top 4 players in the PIF WTA Rankings battling it out for the Miami Open title.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was the last player standing, securing the first Sunshine Double sweep on the WTA Tour since 2022. Opposite her, Coco Gauff made huge strides in reaching her first career Miami Open final.
Here's everything that went down on the WTA Tour this past week, including our favorite moments and the most noteworthy news.
Star of the Week
Aryna Sabalenka
Another tournament, another star of the week for Sabalenka. Ho-hum -- except it's anything but. This past week cemented one of the best months of her career.
After missing all of February, the World No. 1 returned to win Indian Wells for the first time, and followed that with her second consecutive Miami title.
It was a perfect March for Sabalenka, who didn't drop a set in Miami until the final against Gauff. But Sabalenka recovered in the decider, earning the Sunshine Double and further cementing her status at the top.
The four-time Grand Slam champion had to overcome two of her fiercest rivals to win the title. First it was Elena Rybakina, who she had defeated 11 days earlier in one of the best finals in recent memory. And then against Gauff, she showed resilience in bouncing back in the third set to capture her 24th career title. The win also moved her to 7-6 in her career head-to-head against the American.
Sabalenka became just the fifth WTA player to sweep the Sunshine Double. She's now 23-1 on the season, and is atop the PIF Race to the WTA Finals Leaderboard.
Doubles Stars of the Week
Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova
Sabalenka wasn't the only one to complete the Sunshine Double this past week in Miami. Townsend and Siniakova defeated the top-seeded team of Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani 7-6 (0), 6-1 to become just the sixth team to win Indian Wells and Miami back to back. The last team to accomplish the feat, coincidentally, was Sabalenka and Elise Mertens in 2019.
It was their first Miami Open title.
Most Inspirational Performance of the Week
Coco Gauff
Despite being a top 5 seed, Gauff was anything but a sure thing heading into this tournament. She was coming off a retirement -- only the second retirement of her career -- in Indian Wells after suffering a left arm injury and undergoing her first-ever MRI. Before the tournament, she said she considered skipping Miami, and had the injury occurred at another point in the calendar, she very likely would have taken the time to rest and recover.
But Miami is essentially her hometown tournament -- she's from nearby Delray Beach -- and this is a bucket list tournament for her. So she powered through despite the discomfort, got stronger as the week went on and had her best-ever result at Hard Rock Stadium.
Gauff, up to No. 3 in the world this week, gutted out four three-setters in her first four matches -- the first two of which she came from a set down to win -- before dominating Karolina Muchova to reach the final. And in the title match, she pushed Sabalenka to a third set, becoming just the second player on tour this year to take a set off the World No. 1.
Despite the final defeat, it was a very encouraging week for Gauff as she continues to round into form for the Clay-Court swing.
Best Match of the Week
Elena Rybakina d. Jessica Pegula, Miami Open quarterfinals
I could certainly make a case for the Sabalenka-Gauff final, but I'll go with the quarterfinal clash between the Australian Open champion and the steady American. Rybakina started slow, dropping the first set 6-2 and committing 12 unforced errors. Pegula had just two unforced errors in the set and was surprisingly better on serve than Rybakina, conceding just six points.
It was a different story in the next two sets, though, as Rybakina started to serve more reliably -- she finished with 15 aces -- and limited the errors. Pegula actually won two more points overall than Rybakina, showing how evenly matched they were, but the World No. 2 got the 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.
Best Shot of the Week
Jelena Ostapenko's running forehand winner
This was an especially tough call this week, so we'll go to the fan vote for the final say.
You guys went with this Jelena Ostapenko running forehand winner down the line -- a terrific choice.
Check out all the nominees for the shot of the week here.
Most Dominant Performance of the Week
Coco Gauff d. Karolina Muchova, Miami Open semifinals
Following four consecutive three-setters to begin the Miami Open, it seemed likely that Gauff would need to go the distance again against Muchova, one of the hottest players through the first three swings of the season. Especially considering that in the two matches prior, Muchova had dropped just two games against Alexandra Eala and upset Victoria Mboko.
But instead, Gauff put on a vintage performance, getting to everything and playing sparkling defense to extend points. Gauff won 77 percent of her first-serve points, broke Muchova six times and took 12 of the final 13 games for the authoritative 6-1, 6-1 win.
If proof was needed that Gauff is rounding into Top 3 form, this was it.
Biggest Movers of the Week
Hailey Baptiste and Talia Gibson
After reaching her first career WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Miami, Hailey Baptiste moved up 12 spots in the PIF WTA Rankings to No. 33.
And Gibson followed up her Indian Wells quarterfinal run with another impressive showing, again coming through qualifying to reach the fourth round in Miami. She also moved up 12 spots, to No. 56.
Both are career highs.
Best Social Moment of the Week
Nothing like that first bite...
After her fourth-round win over Zheng Qinwen, a tired and hungry Sabalenka was making her way to the locker room.
She was overjoyed when a WTA staffer stopped her and presented her with a Golden Glizzy, the gourmet hot dog that features Australian Wagyu beef, topped with Golden Goat Caviar and gold flakes.
The World No. 1 had been dreaming of this moment, and it was everything she hoped for. Check out her reaction to the delicacy below.