Sinner and Sabalenka could break decade-long Sunshine Double curse

[p]The last time a man and a woman completed the Sunshine Double in the same season was in 2016, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djokovic-novak/AZg49Et9/"]Novak Djokovic[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/azarenka-victoria/neAp94aO/"]Victoria Azarenka[/a].[/p][p][b]This has happened only three times in history. [/b][/p][p]The other two pairs were with Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf in 1994, and Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters in 2005.[/p][p]"[b]It's definitely a very difficult challenge. Winning a Grand Slam takes two weeks, but winning these two tournaments takes almost four weeks, and you also have to play in different conditions, which is really complicated,[/b]" [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabalenka-aryna/vyhksgUB/"]Sabalenka[/a] explained on Monday, after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/sabalenka-a-vyhksgUB/zheng-q-xCyEhjAS/?mid=rmF0aXAE"]advancing to the quarter-finals[/a] in Florida.[/p][embed guid="0988f905-58cd-4885-9e4c-7e4564a7d800" url="https://x.com/OptaAce/status/2036211892394533371" social-type="twitter" /][p]To win both titles, a seeded player needs 12 wins in a row, crossing the United States from the Californian desert (dry heat) to Miami (extreme humidity and mild weather).[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/tennis/wta-singles/miami/"]Follow the WTA Miami Masters with Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sinner-jannik/6HdC3z4H/"]Jannik Sinner[/a] is through to the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/michelsen-a-nDIhfm9l/sinner-j-6HdC3z4H/?mid=dSE9vHYP"]last 16 at the Miami Masters 1000[/a], where he is the favourite against American Alex Michelsen.[/p][p]The Italian is looking to become the eighth man in history to win the Sunshine Double. Aryna Sabalenka, meanwhile, is trying to become only the fifth woman to join the select club among women. The Belarusian [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/baptiste-h-Cjagsdf4/sabalenka-a-vyhksgUB/?mid=6RNFzvcB"]faces American Hailey Baptiste in the quarter-finals[/a].[/p][embed guid="aa41c59a-afcc-4c95-9e65-cc435ee83c62" url="https://x.com/TennisTV/status/2035423689391350072" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]To date, only 11 tennis players in history have managed to win Indian Wells and Miami in the same year. [/b][/p][p]There are only three multiple Sunshine Double champions: Steffi Graf (2x), Roger Federer (3x) and Novak Djokovic (4x). The last person to do so was Iga Swiatek in 2022.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/tennis/atp-singles/miami/"]Follow the ATP Miami Masters 1000 with Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p][p]Check out the full list of players who have achieved the Sunshine Double below:[/p][h2]Men's Sunshine Double winners:[/h2][p]- Jim Courier (1991)[/p][p]- Michael Chang (1992)[/p][p]- Pete Sampras (1994)[/p][p]- Marcelo Rios (1998)[/p][p]- Andre Agassi (2001)[/p][p]- Roger Federer (2005, 2006, 2017)[/p][p]- Novak Djokovic (2011, 2014, 2015, 2016)[/p][h2]Women's Sunshine Double winners:[/h2][p]- Steffi Graf (1994, 1996)[/p][p]- Kim Clijsters (2005)[/p][p]- Victoria Azarenka (2016)[/p][p]- Iga Swiatek (2022)[/p][h2]ATP and WTA Sunshine Double in same season:[/h2][p][b]1994[/b]: Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf[/p][p][b]2005[/b]: Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters[/p][p][b]2016:[/b] Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka[/p]