Coco Gauff admits her 2025 season hadn`t been perfect despite a strong 9-0 start.
However, Thursday at the Miami Open was undeniably a `great day` for her.
Perhaps even an understatement. Gauff, seeded third, swept aside fellow American Sofia Kenin in a swift 47-minute match, launching her home tournament campaign impressively. This marks Gauff`s second career `double bagel` victory, mirroring her win against Arantxa Rus in Madrid last year.
Gauff has openly discussed how her first-round Wimbledon loss to Kenin two summers ago became a turning point, propelling her towards her first Grand Slam title at the US Open later that year. Since that Wimbledon defeat, Gauff holds a 2-0 record against the 2020 Australian Open champion, including a win earlier this year in Melbourne.
Reflecting on her recent inconsistent performance over the last two months, the World No. 3, whose record is 3-4 in her last seven matches, mentioned her `short-term memory regarding wins and losses.`
`I definitely played well today, though Sofia might not have been at her peak,` Gauff commented afterwards. `I doubt anyone playing their best would face such a scoreline, so I won`t claim she was playing her best tennis.`
`I believe it was a combination of my excellent play and perhaps her not performing as well.`
For Gauff, this victory highlights the beauty of tennis – each match is a fresh start, a new chance to excel.
She impressively recorded 13 winners with only three unforced errors and just two double faults. Her serve, which had been erratic recently, including 21 double faults in her previous match against Moyuka Uchijima in Indian Wells (which she still won), was much improved.
`Personally, I know where my game stands,` she stated. `It hasn`t been consistently up to my standards, but it`s only March, and the season extends until November. There`s ample time for improvement.`
`Today, I wasn`t focused on that. It simply turned out to be a great day for me.`
Gauff, who has never progressed beyond the fourth round in Miami, is set to face No. 28 seed Maria Sakkari in the third round – a rematch from Indian Wells where Gauff won in two close sets.
