Mar 29, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Aryna Sabalenka poses for a portrait with the Butch Buchholz trophy after her match against Jessica Pegula (USA)(not pictured) in the women's singles championship of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.

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‘Full of Life’ Aryna Sabalenka – A Look at the WTA Miami Open Winner’s Cheeky Celebrations

The 26-year-old World No. 1 is scaling new heights in her prime.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka capped off an incredible Sunshine season by winning the 2025 Miami Open, beating Jessica Pegula in the final. This was Sabalenka’s third straight win over Pegula on American soil – having beaten her in Cincinnati and the US Open last year. After the magnificent success, the 26-year-old admitted that she needs to “celebrate and forget” the moment. She sure did!

Heading into the tournament, questions were raised over Aryna Sabalenka’s current form. Having shown a high level at Indian Wells, Aryna crumbled from a convincing position in the final – handing 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva her second WTA-1000 in a row. However, she rose to the occasion by overhauling the competition with utmost dismissive ease (Sabalenka didn’t drop a set throughout).

Here’s a look at how the three-time Grand Slam champion celebrated her glorious victory at the Sunshine State. A Florida resident herself, it was like a home win for Sabalenka.

Sabalenka Basks in Miami Open Glory in Style

Aryna Sabalenka ensures that she makes the most out of her successes – whether it’s spending time with the people that matter most or making it a “night to forget.” Post the final, the Belarusian was seen taking pictures with the trophy alongside her goddaughter – whom she had termed as her lucky charm.

An inside look on everything that went on after Aryna's championship win 🏆@WTA | @SabalenkaA pic.twitter.com/hteOFNlwmF
— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 30, 2025

One of the most popular phrases to come out of the Miami Open’s 40th edition is the ‘Marg-Aryna’ – a drink prepared specially for the World No. 1 in some of her post-match interviews after winning. In a hilarious moment, runner-up Jessica Pegula interrupted Sabalenka’s chat with Martina Navratilova and Prakash Amritraj after the final – only to steal the champion’s drink and walk away.

“Okay it was a lot of smiling,” said the eight-time WTA-1000 level title winner after her photo shoot. “My muscles! Probably no botox for me because yeah, I’ve been smiling a lot.” This was huge for Sabalenka’s confidence, considering she suffered two heartbreaking losses against Madison Keys and Mirra Andreeva in the months prior to Miami.

The World No. 1 Continues to Break New Ground

Before this year’s event, Aryna Sabalenka had never won either of the Sunshine Double hard-court events. Having never reached the final in Miami and being a two-time finalist at Indian Wells, she managed to overcome the obstacle in her very first attempt at the Florida-based event. She resultantly improved her head to head record vs Jessica Pegula to 7-2.

Sabalenka now has 19 WTA Tour titles in singles, to go with her six doubles championships. She has been the World No. 1 on both circuits, and also has a combined five Grand Slams to show for it. Only five players have more WTA-1000 titles than the Belarusian – Serena Williams (13), Victoria Azarenka (10), Iga Swiatek (10), Simona Halep (9) and Petra Kvitova (9).

“I didn’t want to lose another final to be honest,” Sabalenka revealed after winning. The 26-year-old has been the runner-up at multiple big tournaments like the Australian Open, US Open, WTA Finals, Indian Wells, etc. in the past. “It’s really tough to lose in the final. So if someone would say that, I’d be like, ‘okay it’s going to be a battle, but I’m ready for that.’”

Sabalenka now heads onto the red dirt for an intriguing clay court season. A semifinalist at Roland Garros in 2023, she will look to improve on her career-best performance at the event.

Aryna Sabalenka

Jessica Pegula

Miami Open

Miami Open Final

Tennis

World No. 1

WTA

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.