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.
6 titles: Andre Agassi, Novak Djokovic
Miami happens to be the first ever Masters title that Novak Djokovic won at the tender age of 19 in 2007. Seeded 10th, he put up a stunning display of his supreme talent to beat Guillermo Canas in straight sets. That made him the youngest champion of this prestigious tournament and the accomplishment undoubtedly signalled that he will be a force to reckon with in the near future.
After a gap, the Serb returned to the winners’ circle at Florida in 2011 with a riveting 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) win over the then-World No. 1 Rafael Nadal. Straight-set title wins followed in 2012 and 2014 over Andy Murray and Nadal respectively.
It was Murray who snapped the imperious Serb’s straight-set final domination when he took the middle set in 2015 but he eventually fell to Djokovic, 6-7, 6-4, 0-6. Nishikori succumbed in straight sets this year to present the World No. 1 with his sixth victory.
That put the 11-time Slam champion at par with the only other record six-time winner of Miami – Andre Agassi. Much like Djokovic, the eight-time Major winner too won the first of his six titles as a teenager when he toppled the reigning Indian Wells champion Stefan Edberg in four sets.
Agassi’s successful association with the tournament saw him grab two more titles in 1995 and 1996. In the former, he dethroned his great rival, Pete Sampras while in the latter, Goran Ivanisevic retired.
The last set of his titles came as a hattrick from 2001 to 2003 where his victims were Jan-Michael Gambill, Roger Federer and Carlos Moya respectively.
5 titles: Steffi Graf
The legendary 22-time Major winner Steffi Graf was the undisputed queen of Miami before Serena Williams took over. The German won the first of her five titles in 1987, making short work of the defending champion Chris Evert, 6-1, 6-2. It was a repeat of the 1986 final with the results being reversed this time.
It was very much the twilight of Evert’s career and after being dogged by injuries, she could hardly counter Graf’s solid game. They met for the third consecutive time in the 1988 final and the result was unchanged from 1987.
The former World No. 1 then pocketed a hattrick of Miami wins from 1994 to 1996 to add to her already impressive resume. Only Natasha Zvereva in the 1994 final was able to take a set off her while Kimiko Date in 1995 and Chanda Rubin in 1996 all surrendered in straight sets.
3 titles: Pete Sampras, Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka
The Miami Open can boast of three former World No. 1s as its three-time winners. The latest of them to grab the Butch Buchholz trophy is of course Azarenka, who was crowned the champion this Saturday. Her earlier wins came in 2009 (defeated Serena) and in 2011 (defeated Maria Sharapova).
It is a landmark achievement for the 26-year-old as it made her just the third woman to complete the much-coveted Indian Wells-Miami double. Only Steffi Graf and Kim Clijsters had managed it prior to this.
1998 was the beginning of what was to be a near two-decade long domination by the Williams sisters at their home event. Venus, then a sprightly 17-year-old, outlasted the top seed and defending champion Martina Hingis in the semi-finals to set up a final showdown with Anna Kournikova. The elder Williams sister overcame a tough challenge from the Russian for her maiden Miami crown.
The next year, Venus returned to defeat Serena 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the final which was the first ever summit showdown between the two sisters.
Her third title and perhaps, the most memorable one came in 2001 in a hard-fought three-set final win over Jennifer Capriati. Venus saved as many as eight match points in the deciding set to claim the 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) victory.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras collected his first trophy in 1993 in an easy 6-3, 6-2 win over compatriot MaliVai Washington.
The following year, Miami witnessed a rivalry that would blossom to become a legendary one. Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, each of whom would go on to join the pantheon of greats, played out their ninth career meeting here. With his huge serve, it was Sampras who reigned supreme, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
Six years later after coming back from niggling injuries, Sampras regained the title in a four-set thriller over Gustavo Kuerten.
Special mention: Martina Hingis (2 singles, 4 doubles titles)
Swiss Miss Martina Hingis deserves a special mention for her mastery of both the singles as well as the doubles events in Miami. Her first singles title came when she was barely 16 and a half years old.
Despite the very young age, the precocious talent played like a champion and refused to be intimidated by the two-time winner Monica Seles on the opposite side of the net. The 6-2, 6-1 blitzkrieg in just 44 minutes was significant as it propelled her to the pinnacle of the world rankings for the first time.
She repeated that feat three years later in 2000, this time prevailing over the second seed Lindsay Davenport, 6-3, 6-2. En route to the final, she thrashed Seles, 6-0, 6-0 in the semis.
During her first career, Hingis also excelled in the doubles event at Key Biscayne and annexed titles in 1998 (with Jana Novotna) and the following year with the same partner. She came back to rule the doubles circuit again and added titles in 2014 (with Sabine Lisicki) and 2015 (with Sania Mirza).
The 35-year-old has never lost a final at Miami, in either singles or in doubles.
What are Andre Agassi-Steffi Graf’s children doing now? Everything to know about Jaz & Jaden Agassi
