Coco Gauff lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the 2026 Miami Open final.
The American played well at times, but couldn’t get the job done against her Belarusian rival.
After three highly entertaining sets of tennis, Sabalenka defeated Gauff, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, to clinch the Miami Open title.
How many Grand Slams will Aryna Sabalenka win this year?
She looks unstoppable right now!
After the match, Tim Henman told Sky Sports why Gauff should feel hopeful despite coming up short.
Tim Henman thinks Coco Gauff can get ‘better and better’ if she fixes a few issues with her game
“I think if you go into a deeper dive, what is exciting for Coco Gauff is that there are so many areas of her game that she can do better,” said Henman.
“She is number three in the world, she has just made the final here, and that’s with a three-quarter first serve, a second serve she is just trying to get into the box, and a forehand that still looks as if it can break down.”
As Henman mentioned, Gauff jumped up above Iga Swiatek to third in the world rankings with her run to the final in Miami.
Live WTA Rankings
- 1. Aryna Sabalenka – 11,025 points
- 2. Elena Rybakina – 8,108 points
- 3. Coco Gauff – 7,278 points
- 4. Iga Swiatek – 7,263 points
- 5. Jessica Pegula – 6,243 points
She will, however, need to address the problems he noted if she wants to chase down Elena Rybakina and Sabalenka.
The American struggled on serve again in Miami and made a costly seven double faults against Sabalenka in the final.
Coco Gauff’s serve at the 2026 Miami Open
| Match | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve |
| Final vs Aryna Sabalenka [3-SET LOSS] | 5 | 7 | 67% | 66% | 60% |
| Semi-final vs Karolina Muchova [2-SET WIN] | 1 | 5 | 64% | 75% | 47% |
| Quarter-final vs Belinda Bencic [3-SET WIN] | 6 | 5 | 58% | 76% | 39% |
| Fourth round vs Sorana Cirstea [3-SET WIN] | 0 | 6 | 74% | 67% | 33% |
| Third round vs Alycia Parks [3-SET WIN] | 6 | 8 | 60% | 68% | 61% |
| Second round vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto [3-SET WIN] | 2 | 11 | 71% | 87% | 55% |
- Average aces – 3
- Average double faults – 7
- Average 1st Serve % – 66%
- Average Win % on 1st Serve – 73%
- Average Win % on 2nd Serve – 49%
The forehand was better in the final than it has been recently, but still looked shaky in some of the bigger moments.
Henman, like the rest of the tennis world, wants to see Gauff fix the problem areas of her game and unlock her full potential.
“Her athletic ability is incredible, and her mentality to deal with that and all the challenges that come with it, to keep fighting every point,” he said.
“If she can make those improvements in her tennis game, she is just going to get better and better.”
There is, however, another issue that Gauff should be aware of.
Has Aryna Sabalenka now turned the tide of her rivalry with Coco Gauff?
When Gauff beat Sabalenka in last year’s French Open final, it seemed as though the American had the better of their rivalry.
Not only did she have the head-to-head lead, 6-5, but the circumstances surrounding their Roland Garros clash implied that Gauff had the mental edge, too.
Fast forward eight months, and Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 7-6…
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2026 Miami Open – F | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 |
| 2025 WTA Finals – RR | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 7-6, 6-2 |
| 2025 French Open – F | Coco Gauff | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2025 Madrid Open – F | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2024 WTA Finals – SF | Coco Gauff | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2024 Wuhan Open – SF | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2024 Australian Open – SF | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 7-6, 6-4 |
| 2023 US Open – F | Coco Gauff | Aryna Sabalenka | 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2023 Indian Wells – QF | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 6-4, 6-0 |
| 2022 Canadian Open – 3R | Coco Gauff | Coco Gauff | 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 |
| 2021 Italian Open – 3R | Coco Gauff | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2020 Ostrava Open – 2R | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 |
| 2020 Lexington Open – 2R | Coco Gauff | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 |
The Belarusian beat Gauff in Riyadh before picking up the win in Miami, rolling off consecutive wins against the two-time Grand Slam champion.
Any great rivalry sees momentum swing back and forth, but Gauff will be wary of losing again when they meet next.
So far, neither player has lost three consecutive matches against one another.
Only time will tell what the future holds for Gauff and Sabalenka…
They could potentially meet again in the latter stages of the upcoming Stuttgart Open on clay.
The 2026 Stuttgart Open begins on Monday, April 13.
