Aryna Sabalenka calls out heckler during Miami Open victory speech after beating Coco Gauff

Aryna Sabalenka was handed a code violation for swearing en route to beating Coco Gauff in the Miami Open final.

The world No.1 completed a successful defence of her title with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory on Saturday.

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However, she was forced to contend with an intimidating atmosphere with the crowd heavily backing home favourite Gauff.

This even saw one spectator shout ‘out’ midway through a point to the frustration of Sabalenka.

The four-time Grand Slam champion was subsequently given a code violation by the umpire for swearing.

She later apologised to the heckler during her on-court speech after the victory.

Sabalenka apologises to heckler

Speaking following the match, Sabalenka admitted: “I don’t know where you are, that lady that hoped for the ‘out’.

“I shouldn’t have been that rude, but come on, you cannot do that. Let’s agree that we both were wrong. Sorry.”

The 27-year-old then turned her attention to her team of coaches, who had gathered in the stands.

She continued: “I want to say thank you to my team. Wow you guys are growing.

“We’ll need to ask the tournament for a bigger box because you guys are not fitting in that little space over there.

“Thank you so much for being with me, for making me a better player and better person.

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“Thanks for… I don’t know for what, for everything. You guys are the best, that’s for sure.

“Thank you to my fiance… sounds good you know.”

Sabalenka announced her engagement to her partner Georgios Frangulis earlier this month.

Her win over Gauff secured back-to-back Miami Open wins and a second title of the year.

She has now won 24 singles titles during her career, including her four Grand Slam triumphs.

Sabalenka had also beaten Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals in Miami, gaining revenge for her defeat in the Australian Open final.

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The Belarussian is set for some time off following her latest win before returning to action at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

She will be the top seed at the indoor clay event, which gets underway on April 13.