Miami showdown! Gauff vs Sabalenka final clash

Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are set to clash in a highly anticipated Miami Open final, promising a thrilling showdown between two of the world's top tennis stars.

Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters

IMAGE: Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus hits a forehand. Photograph: Mike Frey-Imagn Images/Reuters

Key Points

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina in straight sets to advance to the Miami Open final.
Coco Gauff secured her spot in the final with a dominant victory over Karolina Muchova.
Sabalenka aims to complete the 'Sunshine Double' after winning Indian Wells.
The Miami Open final will be a rematch of their WTA Finals encounter, where Sabalenka emerged victorious.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka eased past Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday to book a Miami Open final against Coco Gauff as the world number one bids to become the fifth woman to complete the 'Sunshine Double' after her title win at Indian Wells.

Sabalenka took full advantage of a series of errors from Rybakina to win the opening set, and the four-times Grand Slam champion then raced ahead 4-0 in the second.

World number two Rybakina, who beat the Belarusian in the Australian Open final in January, clawed her way back into the match but Sabalenka shut the door to wrap up a comfortable win.

“I really enjoy our rivalry, she’s an incredible player," said Sabalenka. “I think I did everything right, she played great but I think I pushed her so much.”

Gauff's Dominant Performance

Aryna Sabalenka Earlier, Gauff delivered a commanding 6-1, 6-1 win over Karolina Muchova to book a place in her sixth WTA 1000 final.

The American world number four made a slow start as Muchova broke immediately to take the opening game but Gauff responded with a break of her own and then reeled off the remaining games and closed out the set to love.

Muchova, 29, had been in fine form coming into the contest, having won the title in Doha earlier this season, but a flurry of unforced errors allowed Gauff to break three times in the second set to complete the victory and extend her perfect head-to-head record against the Czech to 6-0.

Final Showdown: Gauff vs. Sabalenka

Gauff will face Sabalenka on Saturday in their 13th career meeting, the pair having split the previous 12. The American got the better of Sabalenka in last year’s French Open final but the world number one got the win in their most recent meeting at the WTA Finals.