Siniakova-Townsend complete Sunshine Double with Miami title

Miami, March 30 (IANS) American Taylor Townsend and Czechian Katerina Siniakova top-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, 7-6 (0), 6-1 on the Miami Open women's doubles final to becomes the first pair to complete the Sunshine Double since Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka achieved the feat in 2019.

The duo also became the sixth woman’s doubles team to complete the Sunshine Double after Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova (1990), Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs (2002), Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur (2006, 2007), Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza (2015), Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka (2019).

Nathasa Zvereva (1997), Hingis (1999) and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (2016) also won both tournaments in the same year, but with different partners.

Moreover, Townsend and Siniakova won their fifth title together, including two Grand Slams (2024 Wimbledon and 2025 Australian Open).

Townsend and Siniakova won 75 percent of their first serves and converted 5-of-10 break points to just 2-of-7 for the Italians. They will rise one spot to No. 3 in the Doubles Race , while Errani and Paolini improve from No. 8 to No. 6.

During the trophy presentation, Siniakova expressed her gratitude for Townsend. “Thank you so much for playing. It’s a pleasure to kind of (get to know) you more. So thank you for playing with me and making it fun. I’m really enjoying this time with you," she said.

This was the second Miami final for both players; Townsend reached the 2023 final with Leylah Fernandez and Siniakova played in the 2018 final with fellow Czechian Barbora Krejcikova.

With their latest triumph, the pair strengthened their early season push toward another WTA Finals berth. As the tour transitions to clay, Siniakova and Townsend are projected to rise to No. 3 in the Race to Riyadh. Townsend is also set to return to the Top 5 of the PIF WTA Doubles Rankings.

Errani and Paolini also made gains of their own with a semifinal showing in Indian Wells and a runner-up finish in Miami. They are projected to climb to No. 3 in the rankings and No. 6 in the race on Monday.

--IANS

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