Gauff reaches first Miami Open semi-final

Coco Gauff battled past Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in a hard-fought three-set encounter to reach the Miami Open semi-finals for the first time.

The 22-year-old secured a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory and became the youngest American to make it to the women’s singles semi-finals at the event since Serena Williams did so in 2004, the year Gauff was born.
Gauff said that it was a tough match to win, but she is proud of the way she fought.

“It was a tough match,” she added. “It took a lot of running, some falls, but I’m really proud of how I fought. I think that’s been a theme of the week.”

She also praised her Swiss opponent, saying Belinda is a tough player to play against, and that today she raised her level.

“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,” Gauff said.

“It felt like today, my opponent, she raised her level, and I was able to raise it in the third.”

Coco Gauff will fancy her chances against Karolina Muchova in the semi-final, who defeated rising Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 7-5, 7-6(5) on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old Czech has reached her fifth WTA 1000 semi-final after winning a hard-fought battle that lasted one hour and 47 minutes.

“It was very close, basically one point at the end. It can always change in tennis. I’m just very grateful I was able to win the last point,” Muchova said.