Women’s semifinal preview
03.25.26
By Harvey Fialkov / Staff writer
Why Gauff? The 22-year-old American has owned Muchova but said Wednesday that whoever out-thinks the other at 30-30 or deuce points will win. Her defensive skills will pressure Muchova to make the perfect shot. Gauff has gone three sets in all four of her matches at this year’s Miami Open with occasional lapses in concentration. She also must deal with the pressure of trying to win her hometown tournament which she has on her “bucket list.” She grew up and still resides in Delray Beach and will have a huge hometown advantage.
Why Muchova? She has one of the most complete all-court games on Tour, but injuries have hindered her progress. She is healthy and has put together an 18-3 record this year including her first WTA 1000 title in Doha last month. She has reached the semis in nine other WTA events.
| Coco Gauff | Karolina Muchova | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank: | 4 | 14 |
| Seed: | 4 | 12 |
| Country: | USA | Czechia |
| Age: | 22 | 29 |
| Career Titles: | 11 (2 Grand Slams) | 2 |
| 2026 Titles: | 0 | 1 (Doha) |
| Year-to-date-record: | 12-6 | 18-3 |
| Miami Open record: | 12-6 | 10-3 |
| Career Ernings: | $31,075,211 | $11,564,473 |
Head-to-head record: Gauff leads 5-0, all on hard court, including at the 2026 Australian Open
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are the clear-cut top two players in the world who will meet for the 17th time overall and third time this year. They split their first two meetings in the finals of the Australian Open and Indian Wells..
Why Sabalenka? She is unquestionably the best hard-court player on the women’s Tour, having won 20 of her 23 titles on that surface. She is on track to win the Sunshine Double after her title at Indian Wells a few weeks ago in which she was down match point to Rybakina. She lives in Miami and loves being at home where she won this title last year. She hasn’t dropped a set in any of her three matches. Sabalenka is riding a wave of confidence and has lost just one match all year—to Rybakina in the Australian Open final.
Why Rybakina? The 6-foot Kazak is statistically the best server in women’s tennis. She led in aces last year and is first this season. After reaching the final at Indian Wells she became the No. 2 player in the world, a career high. She can match power ground strokes with Sabalenka and is 7-3 against the Belarusian on hard courts over their last 10 meetings on that surface. She has lost two finals here so she’s eager to get this title.
| Aryna Sabalenka | Elena Rybakina | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank: | 1 | 2 |
| Seed: | 1 | 3 |
| Country: | Belarus | Kazakhstan |
| Age: | 28 | 32 |
| Career Titles: | 23 (4 Grand Slams) | 12 (2 Grand Slams) |
| 2026 Titles: | 2 (Brisbane, Indian Wells) | 1 Australian Open |
| Year-to-date-record: | 21-1 | 21-4 |
| Miami Open record: | 14-6 (2025 title) | 16-5 (2023-24 final) |
| Career Ernings: | $47,875,138 | $27,875,819 |
Head-to-Head: Sabalenka leads 9-7 (including final of 2026 Indian Wells, but Rybakina won this year’s final in Australian Open)
