Goff won the first eight points of the match, taking a 2-0 lead, and then Parks tied five games and then took the first set – 6-3.
Hardly anyone could have imagined that the three-year-old American would win just one game by the end of the match, but it was Gauff who played far better and easily "turned" her compatriot to reach the top 16 for the third year in a row, and fourth overall in Florida.
Koko saved 14 out of 16 break points she allowed to her opponent, and on the other hand, she converted five out of a total of 13 break points.
For her first quarterfinal in Miami, she will play against Romanian Sorana Kirstea, who played in the semifinals here four years ago.
The top seed in the tournament in Florida is Arina Sabalenka, who is also defending the title she won last year.