Miami Open, FL 2026 - WTA 1000

[MargaretMcAleer]

I forgot to post Jess and her doubles partner Hunter will play their doubles QF match later today against Mertens/Zhang (4)
Mertens/Zhang (4) defeated Pegula/Hunter 26 64 14-12

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Sabalenka and Baptiste have just started their match
Sabalenka serving and she holds
Baptiste good hold she was down love 30 on serve
Both players playing 1st strike tennis, Hailey serving very well, Sabalenka likes rhythm not getting it at present
4 games all.
Sabalenka has a small opening with 2 BPs for the first time in the match
What a shame Hailey DFs and gives the break to Sabalenka, up to that service game Hailey's serve was kind of unbreakable
Sabalenka wins the 1st set 64

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

What a break point from Sabalenka a two handed bhand volley
Sabalenka leads 4-2 2nd set
Baptiste with a strong return game has 2 BPs on Sablenka's serve
Baptiste breaks straight back with a fhand winner, and back on serve in the 2nd set, she is not going away
Back on serve, Hailey with a wonderful fhand down the line, great whip
4 games all
Sabalenka 5-4
Hailey down love 30 on serve, a DF to start her service game,
Oh No another DF this sport can be soo cruel at times
Sabalenka with 2 MPs
What a return from Sabalenka wins the match 64 64 and she just 'suffocates her opponents' in games
Hailey you can hold you head high, it was just some pressure points that came unstuck, take the positives from this match and build on it Hailey!

Sabalenka will play Rybakina in SF!

 

[britbox]

 

[kskate2]

Elena and Jess have arrived on court
Elena won the toss and will serve, both players have not lost a set en route to the QFs
Jess breaks the serve of Elena in her first opening game, Jess has been going down the middle and then opening up the court with angles, Jess also re directs the ball well, lets see if she can back up the break, a long way to go in this match
Jess consolidates with a love service game
Jess 2-0
Elena's serve is off at the moment and Jess has 2 BPs, the shadows of the court at present make it hard for both players
Too many errors from Elena at present, Jess has been good on the return of serve, and breaks Elena for a double break
Jess consolidates and leads 4-0
Elena finally gets on the board in the 1st set
Jess leads 4-1
Elena serving to stay in this 1st set as Jess leads 5-1
Jess will serve for the 1st set 5-2
Jess wins the 1st set 62 has almost been flawless, Elena showed signs of improvement in the late stages of the 1st set, too many UFE so far in her game
Elena has taken a toilet break

I see Jess took my advice verbatim and bossed Elena for a set and half then dropped serve, got negative and went downhill from there. I wrote this in response to a post she put out there last week about facing Saba and Elena.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I see Jess took my advice verbatim and bossed Elena for a set and half then dropped serve, got negative and went downhill from there. I wrote this in response to a post she put out there last week about facing Saba and Elena.
View attachment 10661

Keli
Jess had more winning points in the match then Elena,ended up losing the match,, and her game plan in the first set she was flawless, when became negative in the 2nd set, when Elena found her serve and her game and stopped making UFE, she had her opportunities in the 3rd set but Elena was solid on the big points when it mattered

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Results of QFs
Wednesday 25th March,

Sabalenka (1) d Baptiste 64 64
Rybakina (3) d Pegula (5) 26 63 64

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Ladies SFs
Thursday 26th March,

Not before 3pm local time,
Gauff (4) vs Muchova (13) Gauff leads their H2H 5-0

Not before 8.30pm,
Sabalenka (1) vs Rybakina (3) Sabalenka leads their H2H 9-7

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Gauff vs Muchova just finishing their warm up
Gauff won the toss and will serve first
If I was Gauff I would have chosen to receive first, broken lets see if Muchova can consolidate
Consecutive breaks to start the first set, Muchova making unusual ufe at the net, also fh down the line
Gauff attacking the bh side of Muchova with results
Only 21 minutes to complete 3 games I need a strong espresso very tight match so far
If I hear from the coaches boxes "You have got this" one more time I will throw one of my shoe trainers at the TV
Muchova making too many ufe, Gauff drawing them out of her, one of the main reasons that Gauff has a H2H 5-0 over Muchova
Gauff leads 4-1
That was a straight put away Muchova and you pushed it, maybe the match up is too much in your head? 16 UFE on Muckova's fhand already
Gauff will serve for the 1st set 5-1, 6 games in a row for Gauff
Gauff wins the 1st set 61, it started close and then Muchova and her game went AWOL just too many ufe, pushing her shots, not taking her time
Muchova has taken a bathroom break, meanwhile Gauff is practicing her serve on court

 

[Murat B.]

Karolina is not putting up much ova fight now, is she?

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Karolina is not putting up much ova fight now, is she?

Sad to say Muchova has always had a mental block with it comes to playing Coco cant get through Coco's great defense for starters
Muchova pushing her shots and rushing them, making more UFE than usual in her game,
Coco has a commanding H2H 5-0 over Muchova and it will be 6-0 shortly

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Coco leads 5-1 2nd set, she has managed to defend all of the BPs in the match
Muchova didnt need to keep pushing her shots again and again, especially when she has a 'open court'

Well done Coco your first final in Miami your home tournament 61 61
Rock solid in all departments! and extends her H2H 6-0 over Muchova
Coco will either play Sabalenka or Rybakina in the final

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

BTW Gauff reaching the final at the Miami Open she will displace Swiatek from the No 3 ranking next week.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Okay just got back from the 'torture chair' aka the dentist
Sabalenka v Rybakina match
Sabelenka leads 5-4, I was following the scores on my way home, she did break Elena and then Elena broke her straight back
Sabalenka breaks Rybakina with a great fhand winner, and Rybakina making a couple of UFE
Sabalenka 1st set 64,

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Sabalenka's ability to change direction with control is one of her most great assests
Rybakina was 40-0 up and back to deuce, she seems to be making more UFE on her fhand at present
Wonderful cross court fhand winner from Saba
Saba with her 3rd BP, Elena with a great 2nd tee serve and a great smash, deuce,
Saba with her 4th BP and she breaks with a fhand winner
Saba 2-0
Saba consolidates the break and leads 3-0, she is getting more free points on her serve than Rybakina
Saba with a great slice return and has 2 BPs
Saba with a cross court fhand winner on the line, she is ruthless tonight
Saba leads 4-0 2nd set
Well Rybakina needed that break back might give her some confidence in this match, Saba making a couple of UFE
Saba leads 4-2
A love service game from Saba 5-2
Saba's fhand has fired tonight
Saba will serve for the match 5-3 and a place in the final
Saba's serve has been "Money tonight"
The dream of the Sunshine Double is still very much alive for Sabalenka tonight
Saba was On from Start to Finish
Sabalenka d Rybalina 64 63
Sabalenka will play Gauff in the final! Well done Sabalenka

 

[britbox]

Semi Highlights

 

[britbox]

Good win for Saba as Rybakina is probably one of the few players on the tour who can get close to her power.

I fancy Saba to get over the line vs Coco in the final.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Good win for Saba as Rybakina is probably one of the few players on the tour who can get close to her power.

I fancy Saba to get over the line vs Coco in the final.

Sabalenka has not lost a set en route to the final also she is the defending champion, Rybakina didnt play to her level in her SF against Pegula who had her chances in the 3rd set, Rybakina played the big points well and won, even tough Pegula beat her on winning the overall points in their match.
I was fairly confident that Sabalenka would win their SF match and she played one of her best matches against Rybakina, I feel Sabalenka is on a 'mission' in saying that their Sabalenka and Gauff have a tied 5 all H2H the last time they met was on clay at RG in the final in 2025, Gauff won.
The serve will be an important factor for Gauff in the match up, giving her free points, we all know how well Sabalenka's serve is.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Matches Friday 27th March,
There are 2 Ladies Doubles SFs

Dabrowski/Stefani (3) vs Siniakova/Townsend (2)

Errrani/Paolini (1) vs Mertens/Zhang (4)

Results of the 2 Ladies SFs
Siniakova/Townsend (2) d Dabrowski/Stefani (30 64 46 10-7
Errani/ Paolini (1) win via retirement against Mertens/Zhange (4) 2-1 in the 1st set

 

[britbox]

Finalists Press Conferences after their semis:



Leo AI Summary on Saba's presser.
Performance & Match

• Very pleased with her straight-sets win, calling it an "exceptional level" of tennis
• Felt there was nothing she could have done better on the day

Thoughts on Coco Gauff (Final Opponent)

• Acknowledges the head-to-head is tied 6-6, calling it as close as it gets
• Describes Coco as a "fighter" and "incredible player" who pushes opponents into long rallies
• Notes Coco's difficulty lies in her rhythm — the ball always comes back, forcing opponents to be aggressive and play extra balls

Mindset Going into the Final

• Taking it one step at a time, with a light practice day planned before Saturday's final
• Will approach the match with a "do whatever it takes" mentality
• Won't dwell on past matches against Coco — always treats each match as a fresh start

Miami as a "Hometown" Tournament

• Feels Miami is like a hometown event for her, especially with strong Brazilian fan support
• Excited to see what the stadium atmosphere will be like on Saturday

Reflecting on Her Career

• Admits that reaching this level of consistency once felt like an "unreachable dream"
• Credits her team for the hard work that brought her to where she is today

Leo AI Summary on Coco's presser.

On the Miami Open Final

• Expressed that reaching her first Miami Open final means a lot to her, especially since it was unexpected
• The tournament holds special significance to her

On Her Matchup Against Muchova

• Has an impressive record: won 12 of the last 13 sets and 6 matches in a row against her
• Attributes success to athleticism and forcing Muchova into bigger shots
• Remains nervous before each matchup despite the strong record, respecting Jabeur's skill level

On Potential Final Opponents

• Has played Sabalenka many times (double digits) but hasn't faced Rybakina since a match four years ago in Canada
• Noted it's unusual they haven't played more despite both playing Sabalenka frequently
• Expects both potential finals to be extremely challenging

On Her Game Improvements

• Emphasized a goal to be more consistent this year
• Highlighted significant improvement with her forehand throughout the tournament
• Discussed ongoing technical changes to her serve with coach Gavin, using video analysis
• Acknowledged the difficulty of breaking old habits after 6-7 years of previous technique

On Inspiration and Impact

• Shared a story about a young fan inspired to practice more after meeting her
• Always tells people who want to be like her to "be yourself" instead
• Feels honored when fans cite her as their favorite player

On Today's Match

• Didn't feel like an imposter despite the dominant 6-1, 6-1 scoreline
• Confident in the quality of tennis she played