MASON, Ohio — Coco Gauff is once again the champion in Cincinnati.
The American defeated fellow countrywoman Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday night at the Lindner Family Tennis Center to capture the 2026 Cincinnati Open women’s singles title.
The victory gave Gauff her second Cincinnati Open crown, following her breakthrough triumph in 2023, and delivered her first title of the 2026 season. The 22-year-old completed the final in one hour and 14 minutes, producing one of her strongest performances of the year against one of the WTA Tour’s most consistent players.
An exclusive group of Cincinnati champions
With the victory, Gauff joined an exclusive list.
Only three women in the Open Era have now won the Cincinnati Open twice: Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams and Coco Gauff.
Gauff previously lifted the Rookwood Cup in 2023, a victory that became the launching point for the biggest season of her career at the time. Just weeks later, she went on to win her first Grand Slam title at the US Open.
Three years later, she returns to New York with another Cincinnati trophy in hand.
Gauff takes control early
The championship match marked the first all-American women’s final in Cincinnati since 1970, when Rosie Casals defeated Nancy Richey.
Gauff immediately established control, racing through the opening set 6-2 with an aggressive performance from the baseline. Her movement, defense and improved serve repeatedly put Pegula under pressure.
Pegula, who entered the final after an impressive run that included a three-set victory over defending champion Iga Swiatek, fought back in the second set. But Gauff remained composed and closed out the championship 6-4.
After the match, Pegula praised the difficulty of playing against Gauff when every aspect of her game is working.
“A dangerous, confident Coco is going to be hard going into New York,” Pegula said.
A year of change pays off
The Cincinnati victory represents a significant turnaround for Gauff.
Just one year ago, she left Cincinnati frustrated and questioning the direction of her game following a quarterfinal loss to Jasmine Paolini. Persistent struggles with her serve and confidence eventually led her to make major changes to her team and training approach.
Gauff worked with biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan and coach Jean-Christophe Faurel as she rebuilt her confidence and made adjustments to her serve.
The process was not immediate.
But in Cincinnati, the results were clear.
Gauff entered the tournament without a title in 2026 despite reaching the semifinals in Dubai and Wimbledon and making finals in Miami and Rome. Her victory over Pegula finally gave her the breakthrough she had been chasing all season.
“I think last year, I was just frustrated with my game and I felt like I was declining,” Gauff said. “You always want to feel like you’re getting better.”
A dominant run after a difficult start
Gauff’s Cincinnati campaign did not begin easily. In her opening match, she dropped the first set to Liudmila Samsonova before recovering for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.
From that point forward, however, Gauff took control of the tournament.
She defeated Ann Li, Marie Bouzkova and Marta Kostyuk before advancing past Sara Bejlek in the semifinals. After the opening-set loss to Samsonova, Gauff won her next 10 consecutive sets on the way to the championship match.
Coco Gauff’s road to the 2026 Cincinnati Open title
- Round of 64: def. Liudmila Samsonova, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
- Round of 32: def. Ann Li, 6-1, 7-6(3)
- Round of 16: def. Marie Bouzkova, 6-3, 6-2
- Quarterfinal: def. Marta Kostyuk, 6-2, 6-2
- Semifinal: def. Sara Bejlek, 6-4, 6-1
- Final: def. Jessica Pegula, 6-2, 6-4
Her six-match run through Cincinnati included just one three-set match and concluded with consecutive straight-set victories from the Round of 32 through the championship.
The confidence boost before New York
The title is Gauff’s fourth career WTA 1000 championship and comes at an ideal moment as the tour moves to the US Open.
Her 2023 Cincinnati title preceded her maiden Grand Slam victory in New York. While history does not guarantee another run, Gauff now heads into the season’s final major with momentum, confidence and perhaps her most complete game of 2026.
She also leaves Cincinnati with a 40-13 record for the season and her first trophy of the year.
For Gauff, the victory was more than another trophy.
It was confirmation that the difficult decisions she made over the past year — including rebuilding one of the most important parts of her game — were worth it.
And after reclaiming the Cincinnati crown, Coco Gauff now turns her attention toward New York.
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