Japan's Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara won their third women's doubles title of the season when they beat the American-Brazilian pair of Hayley Carter and Luisa Stefani 6-2, 7-5 at the Miami Open on Sunday.
Seeded fifth in the draw, Aoyama and Shibahara, who won Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open and the Yarra Valley Classic earlier this year, took control of the match early and were broken only once by the No. 8 seeds in the final that lasted 1 hour, 23 minutes.
"To be honest it hasn't hit me yet that we won. Winning (a WTA 1000 event) at the level directly below Grand Slams is a huge confidence boost. It makes me happy that we played well and earned this win together," Aoyama said.
"We've never won at this level. I think this is our greatest moment this season. This is a tournament I've wanted to compete in since I was a child, and I'm very happy to have won here," Shibahara said.
