Coco Gauff faced a tough loss to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Miami Open final on Saturday. The two-time Grand Slam champion played well but couldn’t match the Belarusian’s consistency. With the three-set win, Sabalenka completed the Sunshine double, becoming only the fifth female player to reach this notable milestone.
Gauff was left wondering what went wrong during her first WTA 1000 final of the year, as the 22-year-old had a great chance to win her first title of the season. In her post-match interview, Gauff pointed out the exact moment in the match she believed shifted the momentum away from her.
“Yeah. Well, tactically, what I did well, I’ll probably try to redo. Yeah, I think I’m most disappointed about that first game in the third set of 30-Love, and with momentum from breaking her to win the set. I feel like that’s an important game to win in that moment, especially because I felt I wasn’t getting a lot of breaks, but I was making her play a lot of balls, considering how big her serve is,” Gauff said.
“Yeah, I think that’s something I have to learn from in a moment. Yeah, I think in the second set I was just able to raise my level. I felt in the first | was letting her dictate a lot, which is tough because it’s Aryna. But I thought in the second I was doing a lot of dictating and playing a bit more aggressively, making deeper returns and so on. Yeah, that first game, I’m a bit disappointed about,” she added.
Gauff was outplayed in the first set, but she bounced back in the second to force the game to a deciding set.
Despite the positive momentum from the second, Gauff was unable to hold her serve and gave away an early break to Sabalenka, after which the momentum completely switched. The Belarusian saw out the set and, with that, the match to win the title in Miami.
Coco Gauff Praises Aryna Sabalenka on Winning the Miami Open
The 22-year-old American was calm and composed during the presentation ceremony and applauded her opponent on winning the Miami Open title. Gauff started her speech by reminiscing about speaking at a venue where she used to come as a kid to watch the Dolphins (NFL) play.
“It’s crazy to be able to talk in this stadium. I grew up going to all the Dolphins games. It’s pretty cool to be on this stage. First, I’d like to thank God. I think it’s been a tough couple of weeks for me, but it’s always pulling me through. I’m grateful to be here in the final. All the credit goes to him,” Gauff said.
“Next, Aryna, congratulations. We’ve had many battles. Many finals. You push me to be a better player. Congratulations on all the success on and off the court. You’re a great fighter. Hopefully, we can play many more. I think we will. Congrats to your team as well. Always fun to speak to you guys on tour,” she added.
The reigning French Open champion will be in action next at the Stuttgart Open, starting April 13, to begin her claycourt swing, which will conclude with her Grand Slam title defense at the French Open in Paris, France.
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