Coco Gauff continued her strong performance at the Miami Open, overcoming Maria Sakkari to advance to the Round of 16.
In their tenth career match, Gauff, the No. 3 seed, defeated Sakkari with scores of 6-2, 6-4. This victory follows Gauff`s previous win against Sakkari earlier in March at Indian Wells. Their head-to-head record now stands even at 5-5.
Despite a dominant opening match in the tournament, Gauff faced tougher opposition from Sakkari. Gauff mentioned that she consciously put her previous easy win out of mind to focus on the present match.
She applied the same approach to her recent victory over Sakkari in Indian Wells, understanding that opponents adjust their strategy after a loss. Gauff acknowledged that Sakkari indeed played differently this time and better than in their previous encounter. However, Gauff also felt she improved her own game since Indian Wells, which made the difference.
At 21 years old, Gauff is the youngest player to achieve back-to-back Round of 16 appearances at the Miami Open since 2012-2013. Reaching this stage equals her best result in Miami, matching her performance in both 2022 and 2024.
For Sakkari, this loss adds to a series of recent disappointments. Once a Top 10 player, Sakkari`s current ranking is No. 51. She was aiming to win consecutive matches for the first time since last year, but faced another setback.
Gauff`s next challenge will be against Magda Linette in the Round of 16 on Monday.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth