A look at the most successful winners of the Miami Open
The Miami Open may have been done and dusted but it continues to linger in the minds of tennis aficionados simply because of the significance of the wins in the final. There was perhaps no doubt that anybody would be able to foil Djokovic’s chances given how irrepressible he had been in the past year and a half. With his sixth win, he entered the record books joining Ande Agassi as the most successful winners on the men’s side so far.
Victoria Azarenka’s win too carried a lot of weight that gave her a special place amongst the tournament’s rare few winners who have claimed the title thrice or more.
Here’s a look at the most successful winners of the Miami Open that had its inception in 1985:
8 titles: Serena Williams
Serena Williams’ reign at the Miami Open is simply unmatched and the best of her career at any tournament. She has won it a whopping 8 times, more than even any Grand Slam.
It all started in 2002, a year that saw her win three consecutive Slams and eventually proceed to completing the first of her ‘Serena Slams’. She got the better of Jennifer Capriati in a tight two-setter and then again beat her 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 next year. In 2004, she became the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1996 to complete a hattrick when she trounced Elena Dementieva, 6-1, 6-1.
In 2007, Serena gave a testimony of her superb mental fortitude when she stormed back from two match points down to outlast the in-form Justine Henin in an epic final, 0-6, 7-5, 6-3. Once again, the American defended her crown in 2008 with a win over Jelena Jankovic and also equalled Graf’s record of five triumphs at Key Biscayne.
Another Serena hattrick ensued from 2013 to 2015. A determined Maria Sharapova took a set off her in the 2013 summit clash but Williams rebounded in style, inflicting a third set bagel on her longtime rival. That made her the sole owner of six Miami crowns.
Her last two wins came over Li Na and Carla Suarez Navarro in 2014 and 2015 respectively.