Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic – women’s singles gold medallist at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – certainly didn’t make it easy, but U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff is through to the semi-finals at the 2026 Miami Open.
The 22-year-old Floridian showcased the sort of resolve required to succeed at the highest level of the sport, rallying back from a difficult second set, and early deficit the third, to earn a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory against the double Olympic medallist on Tuesday (24 March).
Pulling victory straight from the jaws of defeat, Gauff labelled the three-set duel “a tough match” during her on-court interview at Hard Rock Stadium, adding, “Belinda is a tough player. Every time we play, it’s a long match.
“It took a lot of running today, some falls, but I’m really proud of how I fought today. I think that’s been a theme of the week.”
Defiance was definitely among the key terms of the match for Gauff, who secured the first break point of the match at 2-0 in the first set. Controlling play from both the service line and the net, she then took the set with a game to spare.
But the World No. 4 soon hit a brick wall, as Bencic roared to life in the second set with two break points of her own at 2-0 and 3-0. Flipping the match on its head, the lower seeded Swiss player usurped control heading into the third and decisive set.
And with the score ever so slightly in her favour at 2-3, it seemed as though Gauff would be packing her bags in the morning, with her frustration plainly evident after an audible critique of “so many chances.” Then came the real twist.
Rebounding in the next game to earn her third break point of the match, Gauff finally made good on her chances in the quarter-final clash, going on a run of three uninterrupted game wins to take the match outright – much to the delight of the partisan home crowd.
She’ll make her next on court appearance against Czechia’s Karolina Muchova in the women’s singles semi-finals, as she chases her first-ever Miami Open title in the Sunshine State.
