Gauff set to face Sabalenka in her first Miami Open final

American Coco Gauff cruised past Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her first Miami Open final, where she will face world number one Aryna Sabalenka.

Florida-born 22-year-old Gauff dropped only two games to triumph 6-1 6-1 in one hour and 30 minutes.

The world number four will meet defending champion Sabalenka for the title on Saturday after the Belarusian overcame Elena Rybakina in straight sets.

Sabalenka, who beat Rybakina in the Indian Wells final earlier this month after losing to the Kazakh in the Australian Open showpiece, won their latest encounter 6-4 6-3.

Gauff will rise to third in the world next week, above former world number one Iga Swiatek, on the back of reaching the final of the prestigious WTA 1000 tournament for the first time.

She lost serve at the start of the match but won 10 games in a row to take control against Czech 13th seed Muchova.

"It was not as straightforward as the scoreline suggests," Gauff said on Sky Sports.

"It feels great to be at home. I am alternating between my parents' house and my own, depending on how late we finish. They live a bit closer, so it is nice to have that family support."

'Emotions, aggression, a lot of fun' - Sabalenka looks forward to Gauff showdown

Gauff and Sabalenka have both won six of their 12 previous meetings, with Sabalenka winning the most recent at last year's WTA Finals.

Sabalenka has now won 17 of the 18 matches which she has contested in an excellent start to the year, triumphing in Brisbane and Indian Wells either side of the Australian Open final loss to Rybakina.

But the 27-year-old, who has won four Grand Slam events, has since taken her revenge for that loss.

After battling back from a set down against Rybakina to win her 10th WTA 1000 tournament earlier in March, Sabalenka got the better of her rival for the second time in two weeks to become only the fourth women's player since 2000 to reach the final at her first four tour-level events of a season.

Having clinched the opening set with a break of serve in the 10th game, Sabalenka stormed into a 4-0 lead with a double break in the second and held on after Rybakina reduced the deficit to win in one hour and 19 minutes.

It left Sabalenka one victory from completing the Sunshine Double - winning Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same season - last achieved by Swiatek in 2022.

On what she expects in her final against Gauff, Sabalenka said: "A lot of rallies, a lot of emotions, a lot of aggression, a lot of fun.

"It's going to be a battle and I'm super excited to play her in another final."