Coco Gauff would admit that her 2025 season hadn’t been entirely smooth sailing despite a strong 9-0 start.
However, Thursday at the Miami Open was undeniably a ‘great day’ for her.
Perhaps even an understatement. The third-seeded Gauff impressively defeated fellow American Sofia Kenin without losing a single game in just 47 minutes. This dominant win marked the beginning of her campaign at her home tournament in spectacular fashion. It was the second ‘double bagel’ victory of Gauff’s career, mirroring her win against Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands in Madrid last year.
Gauff has openly discussed the pivotal impact of her Wimbledon first-round loss to Kenin two summers prior. That defeat served as a catalyst, propelling her to her first Grand Slam title at the US Open later that summer. Since that turning point, Gauff holds a 2-0 record against the 2020 Australian Open champion, including a previous victory earlier this year in Melbourne.
Reflecting on the recent fluctuations in her performance over the past couple of months, the World No. 3, whose record stood at 3-4 in her preceding seven matches, mentioned that she maintains a ‘short-term memory’ regarding both wins and losses.
‘I felt I played exceptionally well today, while perhaps Sofia wasn’t at her peak,’ Gauff commented afterwards. ‘I doubt anyone playing their best tennis would face such a scoreline. So, I won’t assume she was at her best.’
‘I believe it was a combination of my strong performance – I played some excellent tennis – and perhaps her not playing as well.’
For Gauff, this victory highlights the essence of tennis: each match presents a fresh start and a new chance to perform well.
She demonstrated remarkable efficiency, hitting 13 winners with only three unforced errors and just two double faults. Her serve, which had been inconsistent recently, including 21 double faults in her previous match against Moyuka Uchijima at Indian Wells, was much improved.
‘For me, I’m aware of my personal game level,’ she stated. ‘It hasn’t consistently met my standards, but it’s only March, and the season extends until November. There’s ample time for improvement.’
‘Today, I didn’t dwell on that. It simply turned out to be a great day for me.’
Gauff, aiming to advance beyond the fourth round in Miami for the first time, is set to face No. 28 seed Maria Sakkari in the third round – a rematch from Indian Wells where Gauff secured a win in two tight sets.
