Coco Gauff came tantalizingly close to winning her first WTA title since October 2025 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. She delivered an absolutely stunning stint in the fortnight, overcoming tough opponents to reach the championship match in the WTA 1000 Miami Open.
Following her loss to Aryna Sabalenka, her father and brother expressed their appreciation for the American star with heartfelt words in her latest Instagram post.
How Coco Gauff’s Father and Brother Reacted to Her Miami Open Loss
Gauff reached the final of the 2026 Miami Open after defeating several tough opponents, including Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Alycia Parks, Sorana Cîrstea, Belinda Bencic, and Karolína Muchová.
She faced the top seed, World No. 1 Sabalenka, in the championship match, marking their first head-to-head meeting since the 2025 WTA Finals. However, this time things were not in the American’s favor, and she suffered a 2-6, 6-4, 3-6 defeat in just over two hours.
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Following the crushing loss, the World No. 4 took to Instagram to share emotional words with her fans and the tennis community. She began by expressing her desire to lift the champion’s trophy instead, but she expressed gratitude for delivering a deep run at her home.
“Not the trophy I wanted, but what a special experience this was to reach the final of my home tournament🫶🏾. thank you to the crowd and my friends/family for always supporting me through it all. I have so much gratitude and really found my joy again this week,” she wrote.
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Gauff mentioned her injury from Indian Wells and her initial self-doubt, but stated, “I fought super hard to be here and because of that I can look back at this head held high.” When this post reached her family members’ feeds, her father, Corey, and brother, Codey, didn’t waste any time in sending kind, warm words to the American.
“So happy you found that joy and happiness again all fun it’s sport supposed to be fun,” wrote her father, showing his happiness over Gauff’s success and enjoyment for the sport.
“Great run only up from here‼️💯” wrote her brother, appreciating the American’s efforts and showing confidence in her future success.
The family support Gauff receives is one of the main reasons for her success, as she has mentioned multiple times in her interviews. Losing in the final after such a highly competitive fortnight hurts the most, but these kind words from friends and family are what comfort the players and prepare them for the upcoming tournaments.
Recapping the Miami Open Final Between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka
The Belarusian entered the match as the clear favorite, with more than 75% odds of lifting the title, according to PFSN’s exclusive interactive simulator. She had won all her matches in straight sets before Gauff took the second set of the final and was in incredible form.
Sabalenka delivered a strong serving performance; although she hit only three aces, she didn’t commit a single double fault. Gauff, on the other hand, had seven double faults, which made all the difference in the match.
The Belarusian won nearly 75% of points on her first serve and 61% of points on her second serve, whereas the American won only 66% of points on her first serve and only around 60% of points on her second serve.
Sabalenka broke Gauff twice in the first set to take the set 6-2, taking a 1-0 lead in the match. In the second set, both players held their nerves, not losing a single service game before Gauff took the upper hand in the last game of the second set to break Sabalenka and force a decider.
However, the third set again belonged to the World No. 1, who looked invincible since the first point, breaking the American in the first and last games to complete the Sunshine Double after World No. 3 Iga Świątek did it in 2022.
Sabalenka has been in completely dominant form, reaching the finals of all the tournaments she has played in 2026 so far, losing only in Melbourne at the Australian Open.
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Gauff enjoyed the best run of her career in Miami, reaching the final, receiving 530 additional points after her fourth-round exit last year. This marked her first final since the 2025 Wuhan Open and only the second since last year’s Roland Garros.
It will be interesting to see how Gauff performs during the upcoming clay-court swing, with a major title defense just two months away.
