Fresh off a stunning double bagel victory over Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff enters her Miami Open third-round match against Maria Sakkari, aiming to secure a fifth win over her long-time rival in Saturday's contest.
The all-American match-up with Kenin was anticipated to be mouthwatering, but the third seed overwhelmed the 2020 Australian Open champion, paving the way for a 10th meeting with Sakkari, whom she recently defeated at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Match preview
In terms of perfection, Gauff delivered a nearly flawless performance in Thursday's 6-0, 6-0 triumph over Kenin in the battle of the former Grand Slam champions.
The match was expected to be challenging for the third seed, who notably fell to the former world No. 4 in the opening round at Wimbledon two years ago, a defeat that served as a springboard for the young American's remarkable run that culminated in her US Open victory.
However, their subsequent two encounters were split, with Gauff claiming their previous 2025 meeting in the opening round at the Australian Open in straight sets.
The 10-time WTA champion achieved another comfortable win over Kenin, though her performance in Florida was significantly superior, featuring only three unforced errors (two being double faults) in 47 minutes.
Despite that success being the American's 12th of 2025, a decline in results since falling to Paula Badosa in the quarter-finals in Australia is evident, as Gauff heads into her third-round contest with Sakkari holding a 3-4 win-loss record.
The Greek player will strive to inflict the United States player's fifth loss in 2025 when both women compete in Miami, eager to avenge her fourth-round defeat against the world No. 3 in Indian Wells.
That disappointment marked Sakkari's third defeat in four encounters in their head-to-head, underscoring the American's recent superiority despite earlier struggles.
The former world No. 3, a former semi-finalist in Miami (2021), entered this year's event with a 9-7 record in main draws and notched her 10th career win in Florida with Thursday's 6-3 5-7 6-4 result over Lucia Bronzetti in two hours and 48 minutes.
Having reached the quarter-finals 12 months ago before losing to eventual runner-up Elena Rybakina, the 29-year-old aims for a similar run at the fourth WTA 1000 event in 2025 to improve on a mixed season.
Sakkari faces Gauff for the 10th time, having failed to record consecutive victories this season, which could be a concerning sign for the world No. 51 before contesting against the third seed on home soil.
Tournament so far
Coco Gauff:
First round: Bye
Second round: Sofia Kenin 6-0 6-0
Maria Sakkari:
First round: Bye
Second round: Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 5-7 6-4
Head To Head
Indian Wells (2025) - Third round: Gauff 7-6(1) 6-2
Indian Wells (2024) - Semi-final: Sakkari 6-4 6-7(5) 6-2
Beijing (2023) - Quarter-finals: Gauff 6-2 6-4
Washington (2023) - Final: Gauff 6-2 6-3
Rome (2022) - Last 16: Sakkari 6-4 7-5
Doha (2022) - Quarter-finals: Sakkari 6-3 6-3
Rome (2021) - Last 32: Gauff 6-1 1-6 6-1
Abu Dhabi (2021) - Last 32: Sakkari 7-5 6-2
Cincinnati (2020) - Last 64: Sakkari 6-1 6-3
Sakkari may lead their head-to-head 5-4, but those results require some context.
While the world No. 51 won four of the pair's first five meetings on the women's tour, Gauff has secured three wins in their most recent four encounters, and the 21-year-old could level their head-to-head.
Seven of their previous meetings have occurred on hard courts, with the five-time WTA champion claiming four victories; however, the world No. 3's three wins have come in the recent four encounters.
Sakkari's only top-10 success in Miami was a convincing 6-0, 6-4 win over Naomi Osaka in 2021, and the 29-year-old aims for a second, seeking to improve her 1-3 record against the elite group.
However, the Greek star has lost all four matches against top-10 players this season, falling to Rybakina in the United Cup, Jessica Pegula in Adelaide, Iga Swiatek in Doha and recently to Gauff in Indian Wells.
We say: Gauff to win in two sets
While their previous meetings indicate that this match could swing either way, Gauff's commanding victory over Kenin, recent wins against Sakkari and the Greek player's winless streak against top-10 opponents suggest another success for the world No. 3, who may face Magda Linette or Linda Fruhvirtova in the fourth round.
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