MIAMI -- Let the record show that four days into the Miami Open, at 3:04 p.m. Eastern Time, Coco Gauff lost her first game of the tournament.

But after her opening match -- a 6-0, 6-0 win over Sofia Kenin in 47 minutes -- longtime adversary Maria Sakkari provided substantially more resistance on Saturday.

Ultimately, the No.3-seeded Gauff prevailed 6-2, 6-4 in what was their 10th meeting. Gauff also beat Sakkari earlier this month in the third round at Indian Wells, 7-6(1), 6-2. The head-to-head record is now even at 5-all.

While that scoreless opener gave her confidence, Gauff said she actually tried to forget it.

“I knew it wasn’t going to go as smoothly,” she told reporters. “I didn’t want to think about it because this is a one-every-couple-years type occurrence. I was just trying to put that match in the past and focus on today.”

The same was true of her recent win over Sakkari in the California desert.

“I think it was just one of those things that you would like to play the exact same way so you can replicate the same result,” Gauff said. “But you know any smart person isn't going to play you the exact same way as they did two weeks ago after a loss. And she didn't. She played different.

“I do think she played better today. I also think I played better than Indian Wells, so I think that was the difference.”

Gauff, who recently turned 21, is the youngest player to reach back-to-back Rounds of 16 at the Miami Open since Garbiñe Muguruza in 2012-2013 and has equaled her best result here, in 2022 and 2024.

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For Sakkari, a missed overhead on match point was another setback in a series of recent disappointments.

A Top 10 player as recently as last September, Sakkari is now No. 51 in PIF WTA Rankings. After defeating Lucia Bronzetti in her opening match, Sakkari was looking to win consecutive matches for the first time since the Olympics in Paris last year and for the first time on hard court since the Miami Open last season.

She’s lost 12 of her past 13 meetings against Top 10 players.

Gauff will play Magda Linette, who held off qualifier Linda Fruhvirtova, in a Round of 16 match on Monday.