4 female players to claim the Sunshine Double ft. Steffi Graf and Iga Swiatek

The Sunshine Double, comprising the Indian Wells and Miami Open, is on the horizon. Indian Wells kicks off on March 6, followed by the WTA 1000 event in Miami on March 20.

The varying weather and court conditions at the two tournaments make it challenging for players to claim the Sunshine Double. As such, only 11 players in tennis history have managed to do so.

Without further ado, let us take a look at the four women who have managed to accomplish this rare feat.

4 female players to claim the Sunshine Double:

#4 Steffi Graf (1994, 1996)

Steffi Graf won Indian Wells twice and the Miami Open five times

Steffi Graf became the first woman to complete the Sunshine Double, doing so in 1994. She repeated the feat two years later and is the only female player to have managed it twice.

While the Lipton Championships in Miami was a Tier 1 event (equivalent to today's WTA 1000 category) in 1994, the Evert Cup at Indian Wells was deemed a Tier 2 tournament. It was upgraded to Tier 1 in 1996.

As the top seed, Graf annihilated the draw at Indian Wells in 1994. She dropped just 12 games en route to the final, where she beat South Africa's Amanda Coetzer 6-0, 6-4. Graf carried her momentum into Miami, easing past the likes of Kimiko Date and Lindsay Davenport to meet familiar rival Natasha Zvereva in the championship match.

There, the Belarusian snapped the German's streak of 20 consecutive sets but eventually succumbed to a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 defeat. Graf, then 24, clinched her 95th career title.

The former World No. 1's title at Indian Wells in 1996 came after a couple of hard-fought victories over teenage prodigy Lindsay Davenport and second seed Conchita Martinez.

Steffi Graf later lifted her the trophy in Miami, and did so without dropping a set as she beat sixth seed Chanda Rubin 6-1, 6-3 in the final.

#3 Kim Clijsters (2005)

Kim Clijsters (R) defeated Maria Sharapova in Miami to complete the Sunshine Double

Kim Clijsters followed in Graf's footsteps by winning the Sunshine Double in 2005. The Belgian returned to the tour that season after a year-long hiatus due to a wrist injury. She entered the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells as an unseeded player, but upset four seeds and dropped just one set en route to the final.

In her 16th meeting with World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, Clijsters prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to bag her first of two career titles at Indian Wells.

At the NASDAQ-100 in Miami, the then 22-year-old staged one of the most iconic runs in the tournament's history. She notched emphatic wins over five seeds en route to the final, including a semi-final victory over top seed Amelie Mauresmo.

Kim Clijsters continued her stellar form in the final, where she beat second seed Maria Sharapova 6-3, 7-5. The four-time Major champion won her 23rd career title in Miami and subsequently made a return to the top 20 in the WTA rankings.

#2 Victoria Azarenka (2016)

Victoria Azarenka with the 2016 Miami Open trophy

Former champion Victoria Azarenka came into the 2016 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells as the No. 13 seed. The Belarusian beat fellow Grand Slam champion Samantha Stosur and future World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova on her way to the final.

The championship match saw Azarenka take on long-time rival Serena Williams in their 21st career meeting. Williams had triumphed in their last five encounters but was humbled 6-4, 6-4.

At the Miami Open, the Belarusian beat the likes of Garbine Muguruza and 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber to make it to the final. She extended her streak of consecutive-set wins to 15 by outlasting Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2 in the title clash. Azarenka bagged her 20th career title and rose to No. 5 in the WTA rankings.

#1 Iga Swiatek (2022)

Iga Swiatek with the 2022 Miami Open trophy

Iga Swiatek became a part of this elite club in 2022. Having won the Qatar Open earlier that year, the 22-year-old became the first player to clean sweep the first three WTA 1000 tournaments in a season.

At Indian Wells, the third seed beat fellow Grand Slam champions Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep before overcoming familiar foe Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-1 in the final.

Mid-way through the tournament, however, World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty announced her retirement from the sport. That put Swiatek in close proximity to the top ranking. A flawless run to the final in Miami confirmed the Pole's ascendency to the No. 1 position.