Coco Gauff Admits She “Badly” Wants to Win the Miami Open After Opening Round Victory

Coco Gauff to face Alycia Parks in the third round of the Miami Open.

Coco Gauff Admits She “Badly” Wants to Win the Miami Open After Opening Round Victory

Coco Gauff (Image via X/Game, Set & Talk)

In Short
  • Coco Gauff achieved a comeback victory against Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round of the Miami Open.
  • Despite struggling with an arm injury, Gauff expressed her strong desire to win the tournament in front of her home crowd.
  • Gauff will face Alycia Parks in the third round, leading their head-to-head record 1-0.

Coco Gauff opened her Miami Open campaign with a stunning comeback victory over Italian star Elisabetta Cocciaretto. The match, which began late due to a rain delay that disrupted tournament activities, resumed in the late hours of Friday (March 20). Gauff struggled to find rhythm but never gave up throughout the match.

Gauff had arrived at the tournament not fully recovered from an injury she sustained during her match against Alexandra Eala. The American star was forced to retire from the match due to the injury and was a major doubt for the Miami Open. But the American star raised her fitness levels to compete in the WTA 1000 tournament.

She began the match against Cocciaretto with little zeal or aggression. She hit 11 double faults and was slow to react to the Italian star’s tactics. However, as the match continued, she began to feel more confident, hitting excellent forehands and groundstrokes that made her pump her fist in the air.

She won 63 percent of her service points and 21 winners. After the first set, Cocciaretto began to play poorly, giving Gauff the momentum. The Italian had 23 winners and 36 unforced errors. Although Gauff committed 39 unforced errors, she managed the bigger points more effectively and was at her best in the match’s crucial moments.

She went on to claim the victory 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the Miami Open. After the match, she explained that she kept looking to the stands for her family, and that gave her the needed fuel to fight. She added that she’s desperate to win the tournament in front of the home crowd and her family:

Looking up at my box and seeing my family is the most fun and made me want to go the extra mile today. I want to win this tournament so badly because it is my home tournament. But I didn’t have the best preparation, so setting expectations lower allows me to free up and not expect too much of myself.

Gauff has often struggled at the Miami Open. Her best results at the tournament were fourth-round finishes in 2022, 2024, and 2025. This season, she’s yet to reach a tournament final and has lost against players ranked outside the Top 50.

Coco Gauff admits she didn’t expect to play the Miami Open after sustaining an injury in Indian Wells

Coco Gauff’s chances of participating in the Miami Open were slim following her arm injury at the Indian Wells Open. She had complained of arm pain during the US Open, just days into her partnership with coach Gavin MacMillan. The stress of trying to deal with her serving issues on the court had forced her to make more mistakes.

Coco Gauff (2)
Coco Gauff (Image via X/Coco Gauff)

But against Elisabetta Cocciaretto, she showed a bit of improvement, winning 77 percent of her first serve points and committing just 11 double faults. She also broke the Italian star five times during their clash. During the aforementioned press conference, she noted that she didn’t expect to play the Miami Open after her injury in California:

I wasn’t even expecting to play this tournament. I think if it wasn’t Miami, I probably wouldn’t be playing it, so I’m just happy to be able to go out there and compete. It was kind of like a weird injury. I think it was a nerve thing, and I still feel it at times. Today I felt it a little bit, but it wasn’t nearly as intense as Indian Wells. It’s been getting less and less every day.

Gauff will now face fellow American star Alycia Parks in the third round of the Miami Open. Gauff leads 1-0 in their head-to-head record, with the only win coming at the US Open back in 2024. Should Gauff win the match, she’s projected to face Amanda Anisimova in the quarter-finals of the event.

Also Read: Aryna Sabalenka’s Coach Reveals Why She Couldn’t Celebrate Her Indian Wells Win