Coco Gauff Credits Social Media for Miami Open Win

Like every Gen-Z superstar, Coco Gauff is adept at using social media. Gauff will take what she can from it and leave behind what she doesn't need. That was clear in her victory against Sorana Cîrstea in the Miami Open Round of 16: 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Gauff said during her on-court interview, "Honestly, I saw a tweet that said I should go to the net more. I was like, 'Yeah, you're right, I win a lot of net points.'

She added, "I honestly was thinking about that on the match point, and I was just hoping I didn't miss the ball even then because I have done that a couple of times. But I was just focused on hitting it over the net."

Coco Gauff after beating Sorana Cirstea to reach her 1st Miami QF:

“Honestly I saw a tweet that said I should go to the net more. I was like ‘Yeah you’re right I win a lot of net points’”

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/VLHJspgd1R
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 23, 2026

The question came up again during Gauff's post-match press conference, and she used the opportunity to clarify a few omissions. "Yeah, actually, I saw it on Threads," explained Gauff.

"I got confused. It wasn't Twitter because I'm on a Twitter break. Yeah, Twitter's a bit toxic. So I actually haven't been on in like a month or two months. So I saw it on Threads."

Transitioning to discuss her game at the het, Guaff said, "But, yeah, I guess I have to remember that part of my game. It's something we do practice a lot, and you know my coaches encourage a lot. I think just in the match situations, just trying to remember what you practice and trusting that, and yeah, I think I consider myself as someone who can volley decently well."

Gauff concluded, "I'm obviously not the best volleyer, but definitely not the worst. So I think just trying to remember that I can come up with some good volleys and also sometimes the volleys are the easiest play because this is the least amount of thinking. So it's really hard to overthink a volley."

Into the last 🎱

It's a 23rd career WTA 1000 quarterfinal for @CocoGauff, as she defeats Cirstea 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 💪
#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/Fl2Wm3xs10
— wta (@WTA) March 23, 2026

In addition to pressure on social media, Gauff admitted that she also feels an extra layer when she plays in Miami. "I feel like every time I played here, there's always that extra layer. You just see familiar faces in the crowd, and you don't want to disappoint them."

Gauff changed her mindset this year, "And this year, I just came with the mentality of just trying to enjoy the environment in the match instead of maybe focusing on the result. And even though I've had some tough matches here, I've had a lot of fun. So I think the biggest thing is approaching these tournaments, embracing the situation more so than putting pressure on the situation."

After today's victory, the WTA World No. 4 improves to 14-5 on the season. Gauff will face either the 12-seed Belinda Bencic or the 6-seed Amanda Anisimova in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 24.

Fighting for every ball 😮@CocoGauff | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/XBvXxYYTCr
— wta (@WTA) March 23, 2026

The Miami Open presented by Itau runs through March 29. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.