Coco Gauff defeated Belinda Bencic, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open.
But she didn’t have things all her own way.
Gauff struggled throughout the second set and found herself a break down in the decider.
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Battling back, Gauff booked her place in the semis and shared her thoughts during her post-match press conference.
Coco Gauff was ‘really upset’ after losing game in the third set
“I felt like in the first set, even though I lost that ‘lead’, I felt I was kind of cruising and the second just got away from me really fast,” she said.
“Once it was 5-1, I was like, okay, we’re going to the third set.
“I think that third set was really just will.
“I lost that 40-0 game and I was really upset with myself.
“It was not like she hit four return winners; it was points that were on my racket.”
Gauff recovered from the setback to secure the win, finishing with a flurry on match point.
“That match point was kind of funny, because yesterday I hit really bad drop shots on break points and I told myself that I was not going to hit any drop shots on any important points,” she said.
“I am just happy that I did it well, because I then also stopped practicing it because I did not want myself to go for that shot on important points.
“But sometimes you just play tennis, and you’re not even thinking, and I think it’s the best when you play when you are not thinking.”
Gauff trusted herself, and she was right to do so, winning her fourth consecutive three-set match.
Coco Gauff at the 2026 Miami Open
| Match | Opponent | Score | Match time |
| 2R | Elisabetta Cocciaretto | 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 | 2hr, 15 |
| 3R | Alycia Parks | 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 | 1hr, 50 |
| 4R | Sorana Cirstea | 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 | 1hr, 59 |
| QF | Belinda Bencic | 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 | 2hr, 15 |
However, while Gauff’s grit and determination is impressive, her inability to finish the job quickly could come back to bite her.
Of the six players still in the draw, no one has spent more time on court than Gauff.
Miami Open participants and their time on court
| Player | Total matches played | Total time on court | Total sets played | Next opponent |
| Coco Gauff | 4 | 8hr, 19 | 12 | SF vs Karolina Muchova |
| Karolina Muchova | 4 | 6hr, 52 | 9 | SF vs Coco Gauff |
| Hailey Baptiste | 4 | 6hr, 23 | 8 | QF vs Aryna Sabalenka |
| Aryna Sabalenka | 3 | 4hr, 32 | 6 | QF vs Hailey Baptiste |
| Elena Rybakina | 3 | 3hr, 38 | 6 | QF vs Jessica Pegula |
| Jessica Pegula | 3 | 2hr, 44 | 6 | QF vs Elena Rybakina |
Will fatigue play a role in Gauff’s semifinal match? Only time will tell.
Gauff will play Karolina Muchova in the Miami Open semifinals on Thursday, March 26.
Coco Gauff labelled ‘spectacular’ after quarterfinal win in Miami
Former Grand Slam quarterfinalist Sophie Amiach was impressed by Gauff in Miami.
“I don’t know what to say except, dropshot galore!” Amiach told Sky Sports.
“Can she hit her dropshot any better tonight?
“On that match point, even though Bencic got to that one…
“What a match, what a third set.
“Coco Gauff, spectacular tonight, absolutely spectacular.”
Amiach also took a moment to praise Bencic.
“Exemplary from [Belinda] Bencic, really, in the way she was feeling, pushed to her limits,” she said.
“[She] really put on a show, and is showing once again, how good she is and how good she has gotten since coming back from maternity leave, being so close back, hopefully soon, to the top 10.
“She deserves it. That was definitely top 10 tennis throughout this match.”
Bencic currently sits 12th in the Live WTA Rankings.
Live WTA Rankings
- 1. Aryna Sabalenka – 10,240 points
- 2. Elena Rybakina – 7,933 points
- 3. Iga Swiatek – 7,263 points
- 4. Coco Gauff – 7,018 points
- 5. Jessica Pegula – 6,243 points
- 6. Amanda Anisimova – 6,180 points
- 7. Elina Svitolina – 3,965 points
- 8. Jasmine Paolini – 3,907 points
- 9. Victoria Mboko – 3,531 points
- 10. Mirra Andreeva – 3,121 points
- 11. Karolina Muchova – 2,993 points
- 12. Belinda Bencic – 2,983 points
- 13. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 2,973 points
- 14. Linda Noskova – 2,801 points
- 15. Naomi Osaka – 2,324 points
Only time will tell if Bencic can return to the top 10.
She’ll have a chance to do so at the upcoming Charleston Open, which begins on Monday, March 30.
