Coco Gauff Prevails Over Maria Sakkari at Miami Open

MIAMI, Florida — Coco Gauff continued her impressive run at the Miami Open on Saturday, overcoming Maria Sakkari in a closely contested match, 6-2, 6-4.

Just four days into the tournament, Gauff lost her first game at 3:04 p.m. Eastern Time, marking a notable moment after an earlier dominating performance against Sofia Kenin, where she won 6-0, 6-0 in just 47 minutes. However, Sakkari, a longtime rival, provided a much tougher challenge in their 10th meeting.

“I knew it wasn’t going to go as smoothly,” Gauff said after the match. “I didn’t want to think about the last match because this is a one-every-couple-years type occurrence. I was just trying to put that match in the past and focus on today.”

Gauff noted that while she had previously defeated Sakkari at Indian Wells earlier this month, she anticipated a different level of play from her opponent. “I think it was just one of those things that you would like to play the exact same way so you can replicate the same result,” Gauff explained. “But you know any smart person isn’t going to play you the exact same way as they did two weeks ago after a loss. And she didn’t. She played different.”

Despite the defeat, Sakkari acknowledged the missed opportunities that have plagued her recent matches. Once ranked in the Top 10, she currently sits at No. 51 in the PIF WTA Rankings. After a win over Lucia Bronzetti in her opening match, Sakkari aimed to secure consecutive victories for the first time since last year’s Olympics in Paris.

“I do think she played better today. I also think I played better than Indian Wells, so I think that was the difference,” Gauff stated, highlighting her own improved performance.

The head-to-head record between the two players is now even at five wins each, as Gauff looks to build momentum heading into her next match against Magda Linette on Monday. Linette advanced by defeating qualifier Linda Fruhvirtova in her previous match.

Gauff’s victory marks a significant achievement as she becomes the youngest player to reach back-to-back Round of 16 at the Miami Open since Garbiñe Muguruza in 2012-2013.