With Sabalenka and Sinner’s Titles in Miami, A Rare Sunshine Double-Double

It’s a once-in-a-decade type of experience. The Sunshine Double is a rare feat in men’s tennis and women’s tennis, with only five women and eight men completing the task.

Even rarer? Two in one season.

With the completion of Aryna Sabalenka’s title run on Saturday in Miami (she defeated Coco Gauff, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3), and Jannik Sinner’s victory over Jiri Lehecka on Sunday, we’ve seen the fourth occurrence of a rare Sunshine double-double.

Sabalenka and Sinner, coincidentally, each stretched their Miami Open winning streak to 12 when they completed their title runs this weekend.

Two of the best hardcourt players of their generation – and tennis history if we’re being fair – finished the hard court swing by rising to the moment, meeting expectations and proving that on hard courts, they are head and shoulders above the rest.

Seasons with Multiple Sunshine Double Winners

If you are wondering about correlation between the Sunshine Double and the US Open, it is interesting to note that the winners of the Sunshine Double don’t always dominate the hard courts at the end of the season. In 1994 Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf won the double, but neither one claimed the title at the US Open.

In 2005 Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters won the double and the US Open, and in 2016 Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka swept the Sunshine Double but failed to win titles at the US Open.

Seven of the previous Sunshine Double winners have gone on to win the US Open later that season.

Sunshine Double Winners US Open Result Later That Season