The 2026 Miami Open is delivering exactly the kind of tennis the home crowd came to see.
Coco Gauff and Frances Tiafoe, two of America’s brightest tennis stars, are deep in the draw, bringing the energy at Hard Rock Stadium to a full boil.
Gauff is in the semifinals for the first time in her career at her home tournament, grinding out a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals. The win was anything but comfortable. Gauff was taken to a final set in all four of her matches at this tournament, battling through a right forearm injury she sustained at Indian Wells that revealed nerve damage in her first career MRI. None of it stopped her.
Down a break in the third set, she fought back with the same relentless baseline game that defines her, mixing in sharp drop shots and six aces on a serve she has been actively rebuilding under biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan.
“I think I have to believe that I belong where I am,” Gauff said after the win.
“My coach has been reminding me: remember who you are, and you are a good player. At moments I believe it, at moments I do not. So I am just trying to believe it more.”
Gauff now faces 13th seed Karolína Muchová in the semifinals on Thursday, March 26. Muchová arrives as a ball striker coming off a tight 7-5, 7-6(5) quarterfinals win over the reigning Doha champion, Victoria Mboko. Gauff leads their all-time head-to-head record 5-0, a number that speaks louder than any scouting report.
Also between the matches there is a chic tradition taking over the tournament grounds. Santa Margherita, the official wine sponsor of the Miami Open, debuted the Love All Frosé as the signature cocktail of the 2026 edition. Think of it as Miami’s answer to the Honey Deuce at the US Open.
Built on Santa Margherita Rosé blended into a pale pink icy slush that highlights the wine’s crisp acidity and light floral notes, topped with fresh strawberries and served in a limited-edition collectible tennis ball shaped cup, the Love All Frosé is equal parts refreshment and souvenir. You will find it exclusively at Rosé Giardino, the pink garden lounge at Hard Rock Stadium that has become one of the most photographed corners of the tournament.
On the men’s side, Tiafoe entered his quarterfinal matchup against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner riding the momentum of one of the tournament’s most electric moments, his two-match-point save in a 7-6(11) third-set tiebreak against defending champion Jakub Mensik. He then backed that up with another gritty three-set victory over Terence Atmane, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, to book his spot in the last eight.
Tiafoe went into Wednesday’s quarterfinal at the Miami Open as the crowd’s undeniable choice. At Hard Rock, Tiafoe carried the energy of the stadium that moved with him point by point.
What unfolded on March 25 was exactly the kind of charged, high intensity stage the Miami Open delivers, with Tiafoe commanding attention through his presence, shot making, and connection to the crowd. Although the match concluded in straight sets bringing his run to a close, the result did little to diminish the impact Tiafoe made throughout the WTA 1000 tournament.
Frances Tiafoe remains one of the most magnetic figures in the draw, a player whose charisma and competitive fire elevates the atmosphere and ignites the crowd. He has star power and is one to watch. A championship is on the horizon in his tennis future.
As for now Coco Gauff continues her run at the Miami Open advancing to the semifinals before the tournament moves toward its final rounds culminating at the women’s final on March 28 and the men’s final on March 29.