Coco Gauff Looks for 5th Victory Over Maria Sakkari in Miami Open Third Round

World No.3 aims to continue dominance in 10th encounter with Greek rival

Coco Gauff heads into her Miami Open third-round meeting with Maria Sakkari on the heels of a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win against Sofia Kenin. American third seed Pegula, who recently beat Sakkari at Indian Wells, will be looking for her fifth career victory over the Greek in their 10th meeting.

Match Preview

In the second round, Gauff was all but flawless, dismantling former Australian Open champion Kenin in a 47-minute match. The 21-year-old made just three unforced errors, two of them double faults, while showcasing her aggressive baseline play and superior court coverage. It was her 12th victory of the 2025 season, but she has had difficulty being consistent, going 3-4 since advancing to the Australian Open quarter-finals.

Despite her inconsistency, Gauff is still one of the most destructive players on tour. She leads Sakkari, 4-3 on hard courts, and has prevailed in three of their last four meetings, including their last clash at Indian Wells, when she prevailed 7-6(1), 6-2.

Sakkari, on the other hand, is approaching this match hoping to change her luck against top-ranked opponents. The world No. 51 has battled against top-tier competition in 2025, having lost all four of her matches against top-10 players, including Gauff at Indian Wells. But the Greek star is still a dangerous opponent, having reached the Miami Open semi-finals in 2021.

The 29-year-old's Miami campaign began with a hard-fought 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory against Lucia Bronzetti that lasted almost three hours. Although she leads their overall head-to-head 5-4, she scored many of her victories when the pairing was still very young. Gauff has had the upper hand in their most recent meetings, which indicates a turn in momentum.

Tournament So Far

Coco Gauff:

First round: Bye

Second round: Def. Sofia Kenin 6-0, 6-0

Maria Sakkari:

First round: Bye

Second round: Def. Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 5-7, 6-4

Pick: Gauff to Win Again

While Sakkari’s power and experience would seem to put her in a position to challenge Gauff, she is considered an underdog in this match because of her struggles against opponents ranked in the top 10. Gauff’s better form, consistency and more recent success in particular makes her the likely winner again, with a potential fourth round clash against Magda Linette or Linda Fruhvirtova after that.