Tennis
Gauff and Muchkova reach maiden Miami Open semifinals, set for a blockbuster clash
Coco Gauff became the youngest American to reach the women’s singles semifinals at the Miami Open since Serena Williams in 2024. However, it was not without a struggle. Gauff had to dig deep on Tuesday night, clawing her way out of a third-set deficit and into the semifinals for the first time.
Down a break to Belinda Bencic and exasperated by a string of missed break-point chances, Gauff let out a frustrated, “So many chances.” A few points later, that cry became a turning point as she broke back for 3-3 and never looked back.
That swing sparked a defiant sprint to the finish. Gauff won the last four games to close out a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory in 2 hours and 15 minutes, beating Bencic for the fifth time in seven meetings at the WTA Tour and booking a semifinal against Karolina Muchova.
The American earned the first break in the next game, using sharp net play to convert her third break point for a 2-0 lead. Her play up close defined the set, as she went a perfect 8-for-8 at the net. She also won 94% of her first-serve points in the 51-minute opener that she bookended with another love hold.
But Bencic, whose forehand faltered early, found her stroke in the second set. She put away a forehand winner to break for 2-0, then used a backhand winner to help hold for 3-0. Ultimately, the No. 12 seed cut her unforced errors from 15 to 7 and broke Gauff twice to take the set in less than half an hour.
The decider wasn’t quite one for the ages, but it will be remembered by both players for very different reasons. Gauff had to grind through a tense opening hold, saving a break point with back-to-back big first serves. It was the only break point Bencic, who finished 4-of-5, failed to convert, and it proved costly.
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Gauff produced the first point of the match soon after, surviving a defensive scramble before finishing with an overhead at the net. Bencic still held for 1-1, and a few games later she broke for 3-2 from 40-0 down, winning five straight points to draw the ire of the World No. 4.
History is on Gauff’s side against Muchova
In the next game came the, “so many chances,” moment after Gauff missed a volley. Whatever else she muttered in that self-pep talk, it worked. On the following point, she crushed a forehand winner to set up her third break point of the game. She went just 4-of-13 in terms of break-point chances overall, but she converted this one to level at 3-3.
The second point of the match came with Gauff leading 4-3 and holding a break point. More scrambling defense gave her a 5-3 lead and the chance to serve for the match.
After taking a spill in the first point of the game, Gauff climbed out of a 0-30 hole, winning four straight points. An ace set up match point, and a pinpoint drop shot followed by another clean put away sealed another gritty Gauff victory.
She’ll look to continue that momentum in the semifinals against Muchova. History is on her side: she is 5-0 against the Czech, with four of those wins coming in straight sets.
Muchova edges Mboko to reach semifinal
A month after Karolina Muchova defeated Victoria Mboko in the Doha final to win her first WTA 1000 title, she repeated the result to reach her first Miami Open semifinal. The Czech saved one set point in the second set for a 7-5, 7-6(5) win in 1 hour and 47 minutes.
Muchova extended her 2026 record to 18-3, and advanced to her ninth career semifinal at WTA 1000 level or above. It’s the third season in which she’s reached multiple such semifinals, following 2023 (Roland Garros and Cincinnati finals, US Open semifinal) and 2024 (US Open semifinals, Beijing final).
A month after Karolina Muchova defeated Victoria Mboko in the Doha final to win her first WTA 1000 title, she repeated the result to reach her first Miami Open semifinal
“I just tried to stay focused, stay aggressive,” Muchova said in her on-court interview. “It was very close — basically one point at the end, and anything can change in tennis. I’m just very grateful I was able to win the last point.”
That last point exemplified both what has made Muchova a fan favorite over the years, and what has made her such a winning machine in 2026. It was a piece of her signature finesse magic, hurtling towards the net to track down a Mboko drop shot, Muchova had the feel to respond with a delicate counter-drop of her own at full stretch. But it also demonstrated her ability to rise to the occasion on big points, something that had been key throughout the contest.
Both players delivered a superb performance on serve: Muchova landed 70% of her first serves, and Mboko a remarkable 78%. As such, the match was always going to hinge on a handful of rare half-chances on return.
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Muchova faced just two break points in the entire match, the second was also a set point, serving down 5-4 in the second set, and saved them in near-identical, fuss-free fashion: a serve out wide and an overhead putaway. Those points were examples of how Muchova has streamlined her game into simple, repeatable patterns this year.
The 29-year-old had fewer opportunities on Mboko’s formidable delivery, but the most important one came at a crucial moment. At 5-5 in the first set, Mboko was careless with a 30-0 lead, and then a dead net cord return handed Muchova her only break point of the match. The Canadian went wide with a forehand, and a game later Muchova had closed the set out with a nifty drop shot-volley combination.
In the second-set tiebreak, Muchova leapt out to a 4-0 lead, but Mboko managed to get it back on serve after saving a first match point with a hefty backhand injection of pace. But with the match hanging in the balance, Muchova’s sheer determination as she sped up to the net made the difference once again.