Miami, March 30: American Taylor Townsend and Czech Katerina Siniakova defeated top-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini 7-6 (0), 6-1 in the Miami Open women's doubles final, becoming 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 women's doubles team to complete the Sunshine Double, following 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), and 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, compared to 2 of 7 for the Italians. They will move up to No. 3 in the Doubles Race, while Errani and Paolini will improve from No. 8 to No. 6.
During the trophy presentation, Siniakova expressed her gratitude to Townsend. "Thank you so much for playing. It's a pleasure to get to know you better. 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 Czech 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.
