Miami Open final marred by Belarusian flags controversy

The Miami Open 2025 for women’s singles category came to an end on Saturday, where the reigning world number one Aryna Sabalenka lifted the title after beating America’s Jessica Pegula in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-2.

The final, however, was marred by a bit of controversy, involving Belarusian flags. Sabalenka is a Belarusian player and one of her point was celebrated by crowd waving the country’s flags. However, social media users claimed that before the next point, the security officials not only took away the flags but also warned the fans.

Belarus and Russian players have come under some restrictions ever since the war started between Russia and Ukraine back in 2022. Since then, thousands have lost their lives on both sides in an armed conflict. Despite all those restrictions, Sabalenka continues to shine on the court and has lifted her eighth WTA 1000 title and first title this year. The result was also important as it was the first time Sabalenka managed to book a place since the final of the Australian Open earlier this year, where she suffered a heartbreaking defeat to America’s Madison Keys with a score of 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. Talking after the match, the three-time Grand Slam winner stated that she was ‘super happy’ with her performance on the day against a tough opponent.

"Finally I was able to play my best tennis in the final, and I'm just super happy with the result and with the performance," Sabalenka said. "Going into this match, I had the mentality that no matter what happens, if she's gonna break me, I had the mentality to stay there, to focus on myself, to fight for every point no matter what. I didn't want to lose another final, to be honest," the champion continued. "It's really tough to lose in the final. So if someone would say that, I'd be, like, 'OK, it's going to be a battle, I'm ready for that.'"