Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula 'redeem' South Florida with Miami doubles triumph

WATCH: Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula won their second title of the season with a win over Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend at the Miami Open.

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were the first all-American team to triumph in women's doubles at the Miami Open in more than 30 years with their victory in Sunday's final—but if you ask them, that milestone comes secondary to putting some respect back on South Florida's name.

Gauff and Pegula's 7-6(6), 6-2 win over Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend stopped a run of futility for Miami's sporting interests over the weekend: The Miami Marlins dropped three out of four games to the New York Mets in the opening series of the MLB season, and both Florida Atlantic University and the University of Miami were beaten in the NCAA men's Final Four.

The stinging end to both men's basketball games on Saturday night particularly stuck with Gauff, who calls Delray Beach, Fla. home, and the teenager said it gave her some extra motivation.

"I woke up this morning, I was like, 'It cannot be another 'L' for South Florida today. Please, we have to win,'" Gauff said in their post-match press conference. I didn't want to say that to Jess, but I thought, 'Are we in this curse with them or not?'"

While Pegula, a longtime resident of Boca Raton, Fla., retorted that she didn't believe in curses, Gauff was unmoved.

"We redeemed them," she said. "This was for you, Miami and FAU."

Mary Joe Fernandez and Zina Garrison were the last all-American pair to win in Miami back in 1991, and Gauff and Pegula now own three WTA 1000 titles. They triumphed in Doha and Toronto last year. They won Sunday's final in 85 minutes, and wrestled control away from Fernandez and Townsend after the left-handed duo served for the first set a 6-5.

"This tournament is one of those tournaments that you grow up watching, and I think it feels even more special than some of the other 1000s we won," Gauff said. "Doing it in front of our family, it means a lot."

Gauff and Pegula will look to keep the good vibes on home soil going when they take the court next. In less than two weeks' time, they'll lead the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team against Austria in the qualifying round on April 14-15, with the tie to be played in Gauff's hometown at the Delray Beach Tennis Center.