Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are closing in on breaking a decade-long tennis hoodoo as both move within reach of the prestigious Sunshine Double.

After claiming the Indian Wells titles last week, the pair are now just a few wins away from also lifting the Miami Open crowns, which would secure the rare back-to-back achievement.

The last time both a man and a woman completed the Sunshine Double in the same season was in 2016, when Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka achieved the feat.

In total, it has only happened three times in history, with Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf doing it in 1994, and Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters replicating it in 2005.

Sabalenka highlighted the difficulty of the challenge, saying: “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,” after reaching the Miami Open quarter-finals.

To win both titles, a seeded player must secure 12 consecutive victories while travelling across the United States, moving from the dry heat of the Californian desert in Indian Wells to the humid conditions of Miami.

Jannik Sinner has reached the last 16 of the Miami Masters 1000, where he is considered the favourite against American Alex Michelsen.

The Italian is aiming to become only the eighth man in history to complete the Sunshine Double. Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka is targeting the achievement on the women’s side, where she would become just the fifth player to join the exclusive club.

Sabalenka is set to face American Hailey Baptiste in the quarter-finals as she continues her bid for back-to-back titles.

To date, only 11 players in tennis history have managed to win Indian Wells and Miami in the same year, completing the prestigious Sunshine Double.

There are just three multiple Sunshine Double champions: Steffi Graf, who achieved it twice, Roger Federer with three, and Novak Djokovic, who has done it four times. The most recent player to complete the feat was Iga Świątek in 2022.

Men’s Sunshine Double winners include Jim Courier (1991), Michael Chang (1992), Pete Sampras (1994), Marcelo Ríos (1998), Andre Agassi (2001), Roger Federer (2005, 2006, 2017), and Novak Djokovic (2011, 2014, 2015, 2016).

On the women’s side, the list features Steffi Graf (1994, 1996), Kim Clijsters (2005), Victoria Azarenka (2016), and Iga Świątek (2022).

In seasons where both the ATP and WTA Sunshine Double were achieved, it happened in 1994 (Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf), 2005 (Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters), and 2016 (Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka).