Back on home soil in South Florida, Gauff is seeking to regain consistency after a recent spate of disappointing results. The world No. 3 closed out last season on a high after winning the WTA Finals Riyadh, and then kicked off 2025 with a run to the Australian Open quarterfinals—only for her momentum to be put on ice heading into Miami.

But although her recent results haven’t been up to her own high standards, Gauff made it clear that while her second-round victory may send a message to the rest of the field, she’s not focused on proving a point to doubters and critics when she takes the court.

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“I know where I personally stand in my game. Yes, it’s not been up to my standards, but at the same time, we are just in March and our season ends in November. There is a lot of time to improve,” Gauff told press.

“Today I wasn’t going in with that in my mind. It just happened to be a great day for me.”

Gauff, the No. 3 seed, will face No. 28 seed Maria Sakkari in the third round on Sunday.