Gauff To Face Sabalenka In Her First Miami Open Final

American Coco Gauff cruised past Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her first Miami Open final, where she will face world number one Aryna Sabalenka.

Florida-born 22-year-old Gauff dropped only two games to triumph 6-1 6-1 in one hour and 30 minutes.

The world number four will meet defending champion Sabalenka for the title on Saturday after the Belarusian overcame Elena Rybakina in straight sets.

Sabalenka, who beat Rybakina in the Indian Wells final earlier this month after losing to the Kazakh in the Australian Open showpiece, won their latest encounter 6-4 6-3.

Gauff will rise to third in the world next week, above former world number one Iga Swiatek, on the back of reaching the final of the prestigious WTA 1000 tournament for the first time.

She lost serve at the start of the match but won 10 games in a row to take control against Czech 13th seed Muchova.

“It was not as straightforward as the scoreline suggests,” Gauff said on Sky Sports.

“It feels great to be at home. I am alternating between my parents’ house and my own, depending on how late we finish. They live a bit closer, so it is nice to have that family support.”