Miami Open: Coco Gauff equals Serena’s 23-year-old feat to set up final clash against Sabalenka

Tennis star Coco Gauff is in the Miami Open final, having beaten Karolina Muchova convincingly earlier on Thursday night.

It marked arguably her finest performance of the tournament yet, although it has been a magnificent event from the start for the American.

She is now within one win of claiming the title in her hometown.

What makes this feat even more impressive is the fact that Gauff did so despite withdrawing mid-way through her last tournament in Indian Wells due to injury.

The fact that she has just matched a Serena Williams achievement in doing so only adds to the acclaim surrounding her run.

In a statistic shared by OptaAce, they detail just how great Coco Gauff’s run has been for someone of her age.

The American has been shattering records ever since she burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old, and winning two Grand Slam titles at 22 has already established her as a Hall of Fame player.

However, with Gauff’s serving struggles prohibiting her progress of late, this run in Miami was much-needed for confidence, regardless of the result of the final.

And, as the aforementioned account states, she is now the youngest American to reach the final at the Miami Open since Williams did it in 2003.

Gauff will now face Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Elena Rybakina.

Both players navigated their semifinals with clarity in execution, reinforcing their position as the strongest performers in the draw this week.

Sabalenka progressed to the final after a structured performance built around control of key moments. The opening phase remained balanced, with both players holding serve through short exchanges and high first-serve efficiency. Rybakina briefly disrupted the rhythm with a break to level at 3-2, extending rallies and forcing Sabalenka into errors, but the advantage proved short-lived.

Sabalenka responded immediately, breaking back and re-establishing baseline control. From 3-3 onward, she began targeting Rybakina’s second serve more aggressively, stepping into returns and shortening points. The set remained tight until 4-4, when Rybakina’s first-serve percentage dropped in a critical game, allowing Sabalenka to generate break chances and convert late in the set.

That late break shaped the transition into the second set. Sabalenka opened with a hold and quickly applied pressure in return games, securing an early break to move ahead 2-0. She extended the lead to 4-0, winning six consecutive games across the set boundary by combining high first-serve accuracy with consistent depth from the baseline.

Rybakina briefly interrupted the run by recovering one break and holding comfortably, but the overall pattern remained unchanged. Sabalenka maintained efficiency behind serve, winning 81% of first-serve points and 52% on second serve, while also claiming 59% of second-serve return points. She closed out the match on serve to set up a final against Coco Gauff.