A deep Cincinnati Open run can jumpstart confidence heading into US Open

The Cincinnati Open can be one heck of a launching pad.

Just consider the list of players who have used a title run in the Queen City as a springboard to success at the last major of the year, the US Open. Both Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka went back-to-back in Cincinnati and Flushing Meadows in 2024. McEnroe, Wilander, Rafter, Roddick, Nadal, Alcaraz, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams. They’ve all done it over the years. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic pulled it off twice.

American Coco Gauff has experienced that boost, too. The summer of 2023 is when she truly came into her own as a tennis player. That’s when she doubled up in Cincinnati and New York, the two biggest titles of her young career to that point coming in succession.

“It was my first 1000-level title. I think it definitely gave me a lot of confidence before the Open, having that experience,” said the 22-year-old Gauff of her Cincy crown. “It’s always going to be a special tournament for me. It was one of the tournaments I grew up watching and looking forward to every year as a kid. I don’t put too much on momentum before Slams because I’ve done well with no momentum, and done well with momentum. But it’s much more comfortable when you have a couple of wins under your belt.”

Gauff’s countrywoman Jessica Pegula knows a thing or two about that North American hard-court momentum, too. In 2024, she went on a post-Wimbledon tear of her own. After defending her title at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Pegula powered her way into both the Cincinnati and US Open finals, the latter her first appearance in the Grand Slam title match.

“There’s so much depth that anytime you can get that match confidence, especially going into a Slam, it’s always really helpful,” said Pegula, the third seed at the 2026 Cincinnati Open. “I think there’s just so many challenges that you’re facing throughout those couple weeks, and being able to not freak out or panic because you have that experience from Cincy or Canada is something that you can lean on. Anything that can help you manage those emotions you get during a Slam is really helpful. We’ve seen a lot of good results at the US Open from girls who have done well here.”

The fourth-ranked Gauff could use a little spark right about now. Despite some deep runs — finals in Miami and Rome, consecutive semis at Wimbledon and in Toronto, etc. — she is still seeking her first title of 2026.

“I think things really clicked at Wimbledon and transferred over to Canada,” she said. “I was happy with those matches, but there’s obviously a lot that I wish I could have done more in the semifinals.”

Gauff’s defeat to Czech Karolina Muchova at the All England Club was particularly painful. With match point on her racquet at 9-8 in the third set, she approached the net for what appeared to be a routine forehand put-away. Instead, she dumped the ball into the net. It was the kind of gaffe that gets played back again and again on an endless loop. She would go on to fall, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(10). In Toronto, it was just a matter of being overpowered, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, by one of the tour’s hottest players, Kazakh Elena Rybakina, who is fast closing in on the No. 1 ranking.

“I think it’s just a learning experience,” said Gauff in Cincinnati ahead of her opener against Liudmilla Samsonova. “It was something that I had to learn from and grow from.”

“When you look at Wimbledon in hindsight, it could feel frustrating,” she added. “But I look at it more with gratitude knowing I was maybe one different decision away from a final. As far as my semi in Canada, I don’t think that one felt as close. The last two sets, I kind of got enrolled. That doesn’t feel as frustrating. But I do feel like I’m getting improvement, especially against players I usually struggle against badly. I think I’m making the right decisions as far as the adjustments I’m making to my game, just trusting that it will click.”

We’ll see if it clicks in, if Gauff gets that much-needed spark here at the Lindner Family Tennis Center beginning with her matchup against Samsonova on the Grandstand on Sunday night.