After a brief spark from Muchova, who claimed the opening game, the semi-final quickly turned into a one-sided affair. Gauff, buoyed by home support in Florida, seized complete control and surged to a ruthless 6-1, 6-1 victory, sealing the win with another break of serve.
The result marked Gauff’s first straight-sets triumph of the tournament, underlining her growing momentum at a crucial stage of the competition. Speaking afterward, the American highlighted her confidence and tactical balance on court, noting that she felt poised for a strong performance from the outset.
“I felt like I was going to have a really good match today,” she said, adding that her focus was on competing for every point — an approach reflected in the dominant scoreline.
Her victory sets up a highly anticipated final against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who advanced with a composed 6-4, 6-3 win over Elena Rybakina.
Sabalenka capitalized on unforced errors from Rybakina to take the opening set before racing into a commanding lead in the second. Although Rybakina attempted a comeback, the defending champion maintained control to secure her place in the final.
The Belarusian, chasing a rare “Sunshine Double” following her triumph at Indian Wells, praised her opponent while emphasizing her own execution under pressure.
“I did everything right,” Sabalenka said. “She played well, but I pushed her a lot.”
Saturday’s final will mark the 13th meeting between Gauff and Sabalenka, with their head-to-head record evenly split. Gauff claimed victory in last year’s French Open final, while Sabalenka prevailed in their most recent encounter at the WTA Finals.
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, Jannik Sinner continued his dominant run, defeating Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals. The Italian extended his remarkable streak of consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 events to 30, surpassing a previous benchmark set by Novak Djokovic earlier in the tournament.
Sinner set the tone early with a break in the opening game and never relinquished control, silencing the home crowd with a clinical display. He later emphasized the importance of fast starts and mental composure as key to his consistency.
Joining him in the semi-finals is Alexander Zverev, who dispatched Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 6-2 in another dominant showing. The win marks Zverev’s first time reaching the final four in both Miami and Indian Wells in the same season.
Zverev now faces Sinner in a high-stakes semi-final, with the German aiming for revenge after a straight-sets defeat to the Italian in Indian Wells earlier this year.