Coco Gauff overcame a battling performance by Belinda Bencic to reach the Miami Open semi-finals for the first time.

The 22-year-old became the youngest American to reach the women's singles semi-finals at the tournament since Serena Williams did so in 2004 – the year Gauff was born.

Gauff, ranked fourth in the world, was taken to a deciding set by the Swiss 12th seed but won four straight games after conceding a break of serve to close out a 6-3 1-6 6-3 victory in two hours and 15 minutes.

Gauff said that "how I was able to hold my nerve" pleased her most about her quarter-final victory.

"It was a tough match," she added. "It took a lot of running, some falls, but I'm really proud of how I fought. I think that's been a theme of the week."

Gauff, a three-time winner of WTA 1000 events, was contesting her first quarter-final in Miami after last-16 exits in 2022, 2024 and 2025.

She will meet Karolina Muchova for a place in the final, after the Czech defeated Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 7-5 7-6 (7-5).

If Gauff reaches the final, she will overtake former world number one Iga Swiatek and move to third in the WTA rankings next week.

Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, runner-up to world number one Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells earlier this month, set up a quarter-final against fifth seed Jessica Pegula.

The world number two ended Australian 21-year-old Talia Gibson's impressive run in a 6-2 6-2 victory.

In Wednesday's other quarter-final match, defending champion Sabalenka will take on American Hailey Baptiste.