Coco Gauff’s pursuit of her first title in 2026 at the Miami Open came to an end in the final after losing to Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka defeated Gauff in three sets to clinch the Miami title, the 11th WTA 1000 crown of her career so far.
The Belarusian joined Iga Swiatek, Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters and Steffi Graf in the list of players to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ by winning the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open back-to-back.
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Gauff was attempting to become the first woman ever in the Open Era to win each of her first 10 hard-court finals, but could not find an answer for the world number one.
After her defeat, the 21-year-old took to social media to reflect on her campaign at the Miami Open.
Coco Gauff’s message on Instagram after losing the Miami final
In a post on Instagram, Gauff said: “Not the trophy I wanted, but what a special experience this was to reach the final of my home tournament.
“Thank you to the crowd and my friends/family for always supporting me through it all. I have so much gratitude and really found my joy again this week.
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“From being injured in Indian Wells, to not being sure if I was even going to play this tournament, and off-court trials, I fought super hard to be here, and because of that, I can look back at this head held high.
“But best believe we’ll get the bigger one day…. so thanks for showing up for me! See you next year.”
The next WTA 1000 tournament on the tour
Following the conclusion of the Miami Open, the clay season will get underway on the WTA Tour, starting in Charleston and Bogota.
The next WTA 1000 tournament comes in the form of the Madrid Open, set to begin on the 23rd of April.
Gauff will be defending 650 WTA points at this year’s edition of the Madrid Open, having earned her best ever result there last year.
She made the final of the tournament in 2025, having put together a remarkable campaign, which included wins over Mirra Andreeva and Swiatek.
Gauff ultimately lost to Sabalenka in the final, but got revenge at Roland Garros later on in the clay season, beating her in the championship match of the Grand Slam to capture a second major trophy.
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