Photo credit: BNP Paribas Open Facebook
In her younger years, Coco Gauff warmed up playing catch with her younger brother.
Turning Hard Rock Stadium into stomping grounds, Gauff pitched a shut-out today.
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In a clash of Florida’s Grand Slam champions, Gauff dispensed a double bagel to Sofia Kenin in her Miami Open opener.
The 6-0, 6-0 annihilation spanned just 47 minutes and featured only three unforced errors from Gauff.
Contrast that with the 21 double faults Gauff clanked in a sloppy, windy and wild 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) win over Moyuka Uchijima in her Indian Wells opener, 12 days ago, and the second half of her Sunshine Double looks like night and day.
So what’s the difference?
Delray Beach native Gauff said this “perfect” win was rooted in respect and trust.
World No. 3 Gauff recalls Kenin sending her packing from the 2023 Wimbledon first round.
Since that first-round Wimbledon loss, Gauff has not surrendered a set to Kenin, including a 6-3, 6-3 Australian Open first-round win in January and today’s brutal beat down.
Though Kenin knocked off Wimbledon and French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini en route to the Dubai quarterfinals last month, she was flat and listless and never looked comfortable on court in her return to her home state.
Gauff stamped a love hold to open the match, spent much of the opening set belting backhands with impunity and broke at 15 for a one-set lead.
Departing the court for a bathroom break, Kenin tried to reset but ran into a baseline buzzsaw.
Gauff, who celebrated her 21st birthday last Thursday, improved her 2025 record to 12-4.
Next up for Gauff is either 28th-seeded Maria Sakkari or Lucia Bronzetti in the round of 32.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka followed Gauff on Hard Rock Stadium and rocked nearly as hard.
The top-seeded Sabalenka slammed Viktoriya Tomova 6-3, 6-0.
Shaking off her Indian Wells final setback to Mirra Andreeva, Sabalenka surged through seven straight games to close a commanding 58-minute win.
Sabalenka will face 50th-ranked Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse for a spot in the round of 16. Since the start of 2024, Sabalenka is 26-1 vs. opponents ranked outside of the Top 50.
American Ashlyn Krueger toppled seventh-seeded Elena Rybakina 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
The 40th-ranked Krueger won 15 of 20 first-serve points in the last set. It’s Krueger’s biggest win, by ranking, since she defeated No. 11 Daria Kasatkina en route to the Abu Dhabi final in February.
The 20-year-old Krueger, coached by Michael Joyce, takes on Leylah Fernandez next.
Former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez fought off American Alycia Parks 7-6(1), 6-3. The 26th-seeded Fernandez won 25 of 31 first-serve points.