Miami, March 24, (V7N) – Coco Gauff made history on Tuesday by securing her first-ever semi-final spot at the Miami Open, edging past Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in a thrilling 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 encounter.

The fourth seed had been uncertain about competing in Miami after withdrawing from the fourth round at Indian Wells due to a left-arm injury. Despite the setback, Gauff, who considers Miami her hometown tournament, was determined to make an impact in front of her home crowd. This marks her first appearance in the semi-finals at the tournament, having previously reached no further than the last 16.

The 22-year-old from Delray Beach showed resilience throughout the match at Hard Rock Stadium, battling through fluctuating form against the 12th-seeded Bencic. After dominating the opening set, Gauff found herself overpowered in the second, but regrouped in the final set to clinch the win.

"I honestly didn't think I would be in the semis so I'm really happy and proud of myself," Gauff reflected after the match. "I think I proved a lot to myself this week, and I feel like with each match I'm getting better. Even though I'm still playing three sets, I feel like the level is getting better and better."

Gauff, the reigning French Open champion, will now face Czech 13th seed Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals. Gauff has a perfect 5-0 record against Muchova in their previous encounters but insists she won't let the head-to-head influence her preparation.

"You don't think about the head-to-head," Gauff said. "There's so many matches that we play that could go either way. I don't really think about it -- especially when I play here, because I know how good she is."

Muchova advanced to the last four earlier in the day, defeating Canadian 10th seed Victoria Mboko 7-5, 7-6 (7/5). The 29-year-old Muchova acknowledged her tough track record against Gauff but remains optimistic for their upcoming clash.

"I don't have the best record against Coco, but I feel good," Muchova said. "And you never know."

Despite the age gap, with Muchova being 10 years older than the teenage Mboko, she dismissed any notions of being at a disadvantage, jokingly adding, "I don't feel that old -- I feel like I'm still pretty young. In my head, I could be 20."

Gauff and Muchova will now square off in what promises to be a highly-anticipated semi-final match.

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