Coco Gauff marches into Miami Open final with easy win over Karolina Muchova

• American wins 6-1, 6-1 to continue domination of rival

• Gauff will play Sabalenka or Rybakina in Miami Open final

With her hopes of a monumental result at the Miami Open all but over, Karolina Muchova’s desperation deep in her semi-final match against Coco Gauff brought her into the forecourt. Down 1-6, 0-4, a sweet backhand drop volley from Muchova offered her a chance to put away an easy smash with Gauff stranded at the net.

Muchova, one of the most skilled volleyers in the game, would have won that point against almost any other player, but a bad match up in tennis can cause chaos in the mind. This time, Muchova inexplicably chose to stroke the smash straight in the direction of a surprised Gauff, who reflexively directed her backhand half-volley into the open court for a clean winner. Not long after, Gauff closed out her dominant, composed performance without drama to reach the final of her home tournament for the first time in her career with a 6-1, 6-1 demolition of Muchova.

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