American Stephens claimed her first title since the US Open last year as Ostapenko made 48 unforced errors during Saturday's final
Sunday 1 April 2018 14:55, UK
Sloane Stephens held her nerve in an error-strewn Miami Open final to beat Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 and lift the title for the first time on Saturday.
Florida native Stephens has now won all six finals she has competed in, including last year's US Open.
"I knew that I was just going to have to run a lot of balls down," Stephens told the official WTA website.
"The way that she plays is she has a very aggressive style, and sometimes you can't outhit her or outrun her.
"You just kind of have to accept that she's going to hit some really great shots."
Both players struggled to find their rhythm early on with eight breaks of serve in the first set alone, with French Open champion Ostapenko hitting 29 unforced errors and US Open champion Stephens making just three winners.
It was the first time either player had made it to the final of a WTA Premier Mandatory event and Ostapenko, at just 20 years and 297 days, was the youngest finalist in Miami since Victoria Azarenka in 2009.
Ostapenko came into the encounter having not lost a set, an impressive statistic considering she has taken part in five tie-breaks over the last 12 days.
Stephens however, who was raised in Plantation, Florida, and was able to call on overwhelming support, made the stronger start, breaking in the first game.
But serving for the first set with just 36 minutes on the clock, the American double-faulted to give Ostapenko a break-point - which she duly won when Stephens hit long.
Ostapenko's serve, however, continued to falter and the 13th seed responded immediately with a fourth break to give herself another chance to win the opening set.
Yet another poor service game - at this point Stephens had been successful with just 18 per cent of her second serves - sent the match into a tie-break which was won when the Latvian sent a backhand into the net.
The trend continued with both players broken in the opening two games and when Ostapenko faltered again, Stephens took a 3-1 lead, and this time, she kept on her game to emerge victorious for the sixth title of her career.
You can watch the Miami Open ATP Masters 1000 final between John Isner and Alexander Zverev with coverage underway from 6pm on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Mix, which you can find on channel 287, and is free for all Sky customers.
Keep up to date with the latest on www.skysports.com/tennis with news, previews, live blogs, reports and expert analysis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.
