Coco Gauff has become the youngest American to reach the 2026 Miami Open final. The feat was first achieved by Serena Williams back in 2003. Gauff secured her finals spot after defeating Czech Karolina Muchova in the semifinal match. This milestone was achieved at the WTA 1000 event held in Miami. Gauff is set to face Aryna Sabalenka in the final match.
World No. 4 Gauff performed a brilliant run against Muchova and defeated her in the semifinals by sets of 6-1, 6-1 to make her first-ever finals appearance in the Miami Open. The 22-year-old in the one-hour-and-30-minute semifinals had lost her serve at the start of the match, but then went on to 10 games in a row, taking control over 13th seed Muchova.
Gauff will meet defending champion Sabalenka in the Miami Open title clash on Saturday, March 27. The Belarusian won her spot after defeating Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in straight sets. Both Gauff and Sabalenka have won six of their 12 previous meetings. Sabalenka had won their recent meeting in last year’s WTA Finals.
Next week, Gauff will rise to No. 3 in the world rankings and will now be placed above former No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The Australian had made it to the finals of the prestigious WTA 1000 tournament in her debut campaign.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Gauff expressed her excitement on her finals qualification and winning the semifinals on home soil.
“It was not as straightforward as the scoreline suggests. It feels great to be at home. I am alternating between my parents’ house and my own, depending on how late we finish. They live a bit closer, so it is nice to have that family support,” Gauff said.
In the other semifinals, World No. 1 Sabalenka defeated Rybakina by sets of 6-4 6-3. Since her loss against the Kazakhstani in Australia Open 2026 finals, the Belarusian defeated her in the Indian Wells finals held earlier this month.
Sabalenka dominated the opening set after getting a break of serve in the 10th game to get into a 4-0 lead. In the second set, she ended with a double break and held her dominance over Rybakina to win the match after one hour and 19 minutes.
Sabalenka is just one win away from completing the Sunshine Double. She will be the player to win both the Indian Wells and the Miami Open title in the same season. The feat was last achieved by Iga Swiatek in 2022.
