Coco Gauff, a top-four seed at the 2026 Miami Open, begins her campaign in the second round against the winner of Elisabetta Cocciaretto and a qualifier. Her draw includes tough opponents like Linda Noskova and Amanda Anisimova, amid concerns over a recent arm injury. Despite retiring from Indian Wells, Gauff is listed for practice sessions ahead of her likely March 19 opener.
The Miami Open, a WTA 1000 event at Hard Rock Stadium, offers 1000 ranking points and a $1,151,380 top prize. Coco Gauff enters as a top-four seed with a first-round bye, starting in the Round of 64. Her opener pits her against the winner between Elisabetta Cocciaretto and a qualifier at her home tournament in Tennis Paradise. A potential Round of 32 matchup awaits with Maya Joint, followed by Linda Noskova, who reached the semifinals at the recent BNP Paribas Open before falling to Aryna Sabalenka. In the quarterfinals, Gauff could face No. 6 seed Amanda Anisimova in an all-American battle for a semifinal spot. Further on, Iga Swiatek lurks in the semifinals as the No. 2 seed, with a possible final against top seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina, the Australian Open winner. Gauff's participation follows a left-arm injury at Indian Wells, where she retired in her third-round match against Alexandra Eala while trailing 6-2, 2-0. > “I felt it from the second game of the first set,” Gauff said. “It was like a firework going off inside my arm, and then my whole arm felt like it was on fire. It was a scary feeling.” She underwent an MRI on March 9 amid nerve-related concerns but received reassurance it is not long-term. Gauff appears on the tournament's March 16 practice schedule: Court 13 at 10 AM, Stadium Court at 11 AM with Janice Tjen, and Court 22 at 2 PM with Tjen. Her first match is expected Thursday, March 19. Last year, she lost in the round of 16 to Magda Linette.