In dominant fashion, Coco Gauff reached her first final at the WTA 1000 Miami Open after surpassing No. 13 seed Karolína Muchová in the semifinals. Her notable performances in South Florida have drawn positive attention from Serena and Venus Williams’ former coach, who highlighted her hard work, growth, and competitive mindset, among other qualities.
Rick Macci Praises Coco Gauff Ahead of Miami Open Final vs. Aryna Sabalenka
Gauff entered Hard Rock Stadium as the No. 4 seed and surpassed elite players to reach the title match. The American star defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Alycia Parks, Sorana Cîrstea, and World No. 12 Belinda Bencic en route to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Gauff faced Muchová, defeating her in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, in one hour and 20 minutes, and now leads their head-to-head 6-0. Her wins at the Miami Open impressed Macci, who revealed how she is able to achieve them.
In his recent X post, Macci praised Gauff’s mentality both on and off the court, mentioning that her improved form and adaptability pushed her to new heights.
He added, “Coco deserves so much credit. It goes to show every coach fan and player movement can be the wildcard in sports and ability to remember to forget. What a role model on and off the court. Love this athlete. @CocoGauff”
Coco deserves so much credit. It goes to show every coach fan and player movement can be the wildcard in sports and ability to remember to forget. What a role model on and off the court. Love this athlete.@CocoGauff
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) March 27, 2026
After winning her semifinal match against Muchová, Gauff shared her thoughts on how she has elevated her game, expressing, “I had some tough matches this year, but it’s better than last year. I think it just comes with growing my game and trying to make my game more sound, and I think I feel the improvements are happening – especially with my forehand – I was happy with how it’s been this whole tournament.”
READ MORE: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Coco Gauff Final Preview: Head-to-Head, Prediction for Miami Open 2026
She continued, “I said earlier that I’ve been practicing well and I’ve just been waiting for it to click. I think it’s not obviously fully clicked, but I think it is clicking.”
In the title match, Gauff is set to face World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The duo has a 6-6 head-to-head record. They last clashed at the WTA Finals, with the Belarusian taking the win in the round-robin stage. The two also clashed in the title matches of the 2025 French Open, Madrid Open, and 2023 US Open.
