In the electric atmosphere of the Miami Open, where the Florida sun beats down on the hard courts and the crowd buzzes with anticipation, Coco Gauff delivered a performance that left jaws dropping and spirits soaring. On a crisp Thursday afternoon in March 2025, the 21-year-old American phenom dismantled her compatriot Sofia Kenin with a ruthless 6-0, 6-0 victory—known in tennis parlance as a “double bagel.” The match, a dazzling display of precision and power, lasted a mere 47 minutes, sending Gauff rocketing into the third round of her hometown tournament and reasserting her dominance after a shaky start to the year. Meanwhile, across the grounds, a young upstart dubbed “Baby Rybakina” etched her name into the spotlight with a career-defining upset that underscored the shifting tides of the sport.
Gauff, ranked No. 3 in the world, entered the match with something to prove. After kicking off 2025 with a blistering nine-match win streak, her form had faltered, dropping four of her last seven contests. The sting of a round-of-16 exit at Indian Wells still lingered, but in Miami, she found her rhythm. Against Kenin, a former Australian Open champion, Gauff was untouchable. She fired down serves with surgical accuracy, winning 84% of her first-serve points, and turned defense into offense, saving the lone break point she faced while converting six of her nine break opportunities. Kenin, ranked No. 46, could muster only 18 points in the entire match, her game unraveling under Gauff’s relentless pressure. “I was definitely playing well today, and maybe she wasn’t playing her peak great tennis,” Gauff reflected afterward, her humility shining through even in triumph. “I don’t think anyone who is playing their best tennis will have that scoreline today, so I’m not going to sit here and say she played her best.”
For Gauff, the victory was more than a stat line—it was a homecoming. With her family cheering courtside, the Florida native felt a rare calm wash over her. “I think just relaxing and enjoying,” she said, pinpointing the key to her near-flawless performance. “I have my family in the crowd; it allowed me to be a bit relaxed.” That ease translated into a clinic on the court, her second career double bagel following a similar rout in Madrid the previous year. But Gauff stayed grounded, admitting a flicker of tension at the start of the second set. “That first game of the second set, I was kind of—not nervous, but a little tight because I wanted to keep that momentum going,” she confessed. She needn’t have worried; her focus never wavered, and the crowd roared as she sealed the match with a flourish.
While Gauff’s star burned brightly, another narrative unfolded that same day, capturing the tournament’s underdog spirit. Ashlyn Krueger, a 20-year-old American ranked No. 40, pulled off a seismic upset, toppling seventh-seeded Elena Rybakina 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Dubbed “Baby Rybakina” by fans for her towering stature and booming shots—traits reminiscent of the Kazakhstani star she defeated—Krueger notched the biggest win of her young career. The match was a rollercoaster: Rybakina unleashed a jaw-dropping 22-point winning streak on serve in the first set, yet Krueger held firm, growing into the contest and clinching the decider with steely resolve. It marked her first victory over a top-10 player, a milestone that thrust her into the conversation as a rising force. Next up for Krueger? A third-round clash with Gauff, setting the stage for an all-American showdown.
The day wasn’t short on star power elsewhere. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka, a two-time Grand Slam champion, shook off her Indian Wells final loss with a commanding 6-3, 6-0 win over Viktoriya Tomova, breaking her opponent six times. Naomi Osaka and defending champion Danielle Collins also powered through, adding to the tournament’s growing intensity. But it was Gauff and Krueger who stole the headlines—Gauff with her demolition of Kenin, and Krueger with her fearless giant-slaying.
For Gauff, the Miami Open has long been a tantalizing challenge. Despite her prodigious talent, she’s never advanced past the fourth round here, a fact that gnaws at her ambitions. Her next test comes against Maria Sakkari, a familiar foe she bested in straight sets at Indian Wells. “I’ve been doing it well in practice,” Gauff said of her recent struggles, “so I have trust that it will come good in a tournament.” If Thursday’s performance is any indication, that trust is well-placed. As the Miami Open unfolds, Gauff’s resurgence and Krueger’s breakout signal a new chapter in American tennis—one where youth, grit, and hometown pride collide under the Florida sun.
Leave a Reply