Coco Gauff continued to impress on Tuesday, advancing to the Miami Open semi-finals after defeating Belinda Bencic.
Gauff once again demonstrated her grit, eventually closing out the three set contest 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
As is often the case with Gauff, she gave tennis fans a masterclass in court coverage and defensive play, retrieving whatever Bencic ‘threw’ at her throughout the match.
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Gauff’s court coverage is far from an unknown quantity – the American possesses speed few others can match on the WTA Tour.
After defeating Bencic on Tuesday, Gauff commented on her speed and was asked to name the fastest player on the Tour.
Coco Gauff says she is the fastest player on the WTA Tour
“I definitely think that on court I am the fastest,” Gauff told reporters in Miami. “People don’t like it when I say it, but I feel like I have enough tape to show that.
“100 metres I feel I would be pretty good. Sloane [Stephens] is pretty fast when she is in her prime. Iga [Swiatek] is really fast. [Maria] Sakkari is fast.
“I think 100 metres is different. I feel I would definitely be in the top three or top four for sure.
“Over 200 metres I definitely think I am the fastest. The longer the race the better for me, I think that’s the same in tennis! The longer the better.
“I would be down to try it, but I don’t think the 100 metres is my race.”
Gauff will need to utilise her court speed once again when she plays Karolina Muchova in the Miami Open semi-finals.
Muchova, the 13th seed, has been in excellent form throughout the event and has only dropped one set on her way to the last four.
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The Czech star survived an early scare against Camila Osorio, before comfortably defeating Katie Boulter and Alexandra Eala.
She then battled past Victoria Mboko in straight sets, 7-5, 7-6.
As for Gauff, her path has been trickier. Remarkably, the American has won all of her four Miami Open matches so far in three sets.
Coco Gauff’s Miami Open campaign so far
- Round One: Bye
- Round Two: defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
- Round Three: defeated Alycia Parks 3-6, 6-0, 6-1
- Round Four: defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
- Quarter-finals: defeated Belinda Bencic 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
- Semi-finals: Karolina Muchova
Coco Gauff’s immediate reaction after beating Belinda Bencic
“It was a tough match. Belinda is a tough player,” Gauff said on-court.
“Every time we play it’s a long match. It took a lot of running today, some falls. I’m really proud of how I fought today.
“That’s been a theme of the week. My opponent raised her level today. I was able to raise it in the 3rd.”
If Gauff defeats Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals, she will play Aryna Sabalenka, Hailey Baptiste, Elena Rybakina or Jessica Pegula in the final.
Gauff can feel confident heading into her semi-final clash with Muchova. After all, the American has defeated the Czech player in all five of their meetings on the WTA Tour.
Gauff last defeated Muchova in the 2026 Australian Open fourth round, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
