Gauff into Miami final
Coco Gauff swept Karolína Muchová 6‑3, 6‑2 to reach her first Miami Open final — extending her head‑to‑head dominance over Muchová to 6‑0. She now awaits World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a heavyweight championship clash that reshapes the hard‑court narrative in Miami. (wtatennis.com) (bbc.com)
Gauff’s semi against Muchová lasted 1 hour and 29 minutes, and she survived a scare early — saving three break points in the third game before turning the set around. She reached the last four after a gritty quarterfinal win over Belinda Bencic, coming back to take that match 6‑3, 1‑6, 6‑3. The American entered Miami as the No. 4 seed, and the deep run pushed her to a sixth career WTA 1000 final — making her the third‑youngest player to reach six WTA 1000 finals since the format’s 2009 start. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat Elena Rybakina 6‑4, 6‑3 in 1 hour 19 minutes to set up the title match, booking back‑to‑back Miami final appearances. Sabalenka and Gauff enter the final with their head‑to‑head deadlocked at six wins apiece, and Sabalenka is chasing the Sunshine Double after securing Indian Wells earlier this month. The title on the line carries 1,000 WTA ranking points and a champion’s cheque of $1,151,380 at this year’s Miami Open, with the runner‑up slated for 650 points and $612,340.
