COCO CLAIMS SECOND CINCINNATI CROWN

FIRST TITLE OF 2026 COMES AT COUNTRYWOMAN PEGULA’S EXPENSE

By Richard Osborn

Only three women in the Open Era can lay claim to two Cincinnati Open titles: Victoria Azarenka (2013, 2020), Serena Williams (2014-15) and now Coco Gauff (2023, 2026). On Sunday night at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the 22-year-old raced past her friend and sometimes doubles partner Jessica Pegula in a rare all-American final, 6-2, 6-4, in one hour and 14 minutes.

Despite her 40-13 record in 2026, this marks Gauff’s first title of the year, and puts her on the shortlist of favorites for the upcoming US Open. The last time she raised the Rookwood Cup, she went on to claim her maiden Grand Slam in Flushing Meadows.

A finalist here two years ago, Pegula, 32, would compare Gauff’s play to that of a wall. And the analogy was on point. Playing an aggressive brand of tennis, Gauff went for her shots, her self-belief manifesting itself in the form of top-flight forehands, backhands and, perhaps most importantly, serves, the latter having at times caused her fits over the years.

“I thought the level that she was playing at was extremely high,” said Pegula, who was seeking her third title of the year after Dubai and Charleston. “It was really tough today. I didn’t really think I played bad. I thought I was setting up the points pretty well. Kudos to her. It’s just so hard when you play somebody that moves like that. She’s the best mover on tour, I think, by far. Just the way she’s able to defend out of the corners is better than anybody else. That’s really her strength. Right now, a dangerous, confident Coco is going to be hard going into New York.”

Gauff has come a long way since this time last year. After a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 loss to eventual runner-up Jasmine Paolini in the 2025 quarterfinals, she was left in tears in the parking lot, questioning her direction. Now she’s earned her fourth career WTA 1000 title.

“I think last year, I was just frustrated with my game and I felt like I was declining. It’s not something any player wants to feel,” said Gauff, who leveled her career head-to-head with Pegula at five matches apiece. “You always want to feel like you’re getting better or, at the worst, just plateauing. So last year I was in a weird predicament. I made sudden decisions that most people probably wouldn’t do before a Slam, but I think it was worth it. I feel like it’s night and day where I am from last year to now.”

After semis in Dubai and Wimbledon (where she stumbled on match point against eventual runner-up Karolina Muchova), and finals in Miami and Rome, Gauff can finally breathe easy, her first title of ’26 within her grasp. Credit, she says, should also go to her coach and biomechanics specialist Jean-Christophe Faurel and Gavin MacMillan.

“Gavin and J.C. have done a great job, kind of reworking my mind and reminding me of the player I am,” she said. “I think I lost that a little bit, maybe sometimes feeding into the noise of some people who were saying I was lucky to win certain titles and things like that. Now I’m in the mindset that I deserve everything that I have gotten so far, and I’ve worked really hard for it.”

This was the first all-American final in Cincinnati since 1970, when Rosie Casals bested Nancy Richey.