Danielle Collins recently backed Coco Gauff’s performance ahead of her showdown against Aryna Sabalenka at the Miami Open finals, warning the Belarusian. Highlighting both the players’ form, she opened up about her thoughts on their matchup.
Gauff was last seen in action on March 27 at the Miami Open’s semifinal. Here, she locked horns with Karolina Muchova and delivered a brilliant performance, securing a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory. On the other hand, Sabalenka met one of her biggest rivals, Elena Rybakina, in the semifinal round, and after a head-to-head clash, won both sets, registering a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
Now, both players, Gauff and Sabalenka, are all set to meet each other in the tournament’s final on March 29. Just before their game, Collins, who is a part of the Tennis Channel broadcasting team, sent a subtle warning to Sabalenka by emphasizing the American’s form on the court. Sharing her expert analysis, she said how the latter can force the world’s No. 1 to come up with a lot of errors.
“They have split those matches, but Coco has come up clutch in some of those finals. I think Coco, with her game style, she has the capability to make Sabalenka come up with a lot of errors and also she forces Sabalenka to have to play outside of her strike zone, which she doesn’t like to do. Coco’s ball tends to get up above the shoulders of some of these players, especially with the hot, humid conditions here and how the ball goes through the courts. The courts are bouncy. The ball goes up high, and it’s hard for Sabalenka to be able to generate a lot of power from there,” said Danielle Collins.
She added:
“I mean, she still plays with some incredible power, I have to say, but that’s just something that I’ve noticed in their previous matchups. I think Coco also does a really good job when she’s on the run, throwing in some slices. She scraps out some of these points. Coco is arguably the best mover on tour. So it’s gonna be hard for Sabalenka.”
She also opened up about how it is also going to be tough for Gauff and further added:
“Sabalenka’s number one in the world. It’s also a tough matchup for Coco. Coco’s gonna have to play her game. She’s gonna have to serve well, return well, do all of the things, but she’s certainly capable of doing that with what we’ve seen out here this week from her.”
Coco Gauff Made Her Feelings Known About Competing in Her First Miami Open Finals
After besting Karolina Muchova in the Miami Open semi-finals, Coco Gauff sat for a post-match press conference, where she fielded questions surrounding the ins and outs of her matchup against the Czech player. Along with this, she was also asked about her feelings on advancing to the first Miami Open finals of her career.
Revealing that it means a lot to her, she said:
“It means a lot to me. Um, especially again, not expected, but yeah, this tournament obviously means a lot, and to be in the final was pretty crazy and very happy with how today went,” said Coco Gauff.
The last time Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka were seen against each other on the court was during the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh. The Belarusian topped the American, claiming a 7-6(5), 6-2 win in the group stage.
