Gauff dominates Muchova, punches Miami Open grand final ticket

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Coco Gauff delivered a masterclass to end Karolina Muchova’s campaign in the Miami Open, 6-1, 6-1, and advanced to the final of the tournament on March 27, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

With the lopsided semifinal showcase, the American ace arranged a highly anticipated championship match with World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who swept Elena Rybakina in the other semifinal.

Laser-focused on redeeming herself after a poor outing in Indian Wells, Gauff opened the semifinal with cruel intentions, pummeling Muchova with a barrage of baseline winners that set the tone.

However, the very first game of the set actually went to Muchova, but that brief moment was her only bright display during the whole match after Gauff went berserk.

Muchova got off to a strong start after scoring an early break point for a 1-0 lead, but Gauff immediately responded with a break point to equalize the affair at 1-all.

Despite Muchova’s strong start, Gauff remained calm and poised, needing only that single counter-break point to realign her focus in the match.

Unfortunately for Muchova, that break point was her only positive sequence in the entire opening set, and she could only watch Gauff dominate on both ends of the court.

No matter what kind of adjustment Muchova made at the start of the second set, an in-the-zone Gauff was hard to decipher and continued to play top-notch tennis, building a commanding 4-0 lead in the frame.

Flawless, crafty and decisive with every forehand winner, Gauff allowed only a single game point to Muchova, en route to a one-sided straight-set win to inch closer to a shot at the trophy.

Gauff capped the impressive semifinal win with a total of 70 points won, including 36 on the return and one service ace.

“I’m just really happy,” Gauff said after the win.

“Like what I said, I’m just trying to find the joy in the sport, and I had fun. Today was pretty much straightforward. Through the battles, I was having fun. It is nice to get through in two sets today!”