Coco Gauff defeats Jessica Pegula in straight sets to win Cincinnati title

Coco Gauff captured her second Cincinnati Open title in dominant fashion on Sunday, defeating fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 in an hour and 14 minutes at Mason, Ohio. The victory secured Gauff's 12th career title and her fourth at the WTA 1000 level, while placing her alongside Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka as the only women in the Open Era to win the tournament more than once, Tennis Majors reports.

The championship match marked the first all-American women's final at the tournament since 1970, when Rosie Casals defeated Nancy Richey, according to Newsday. To reach the showcase, Gauff had defeated Sara Bejlek in the semifinals, while Pegula overcame defending champion Iga Swiatek.

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She raced to a 5-0 advantage in the opening set by breaking Pegula's serve three times, including a marathon deuce game that established a double-break cushion. Pegula managed to get on the board by converting her first break opportunity to reach 5-2, but Gauff answered immediately, breaking right back to seal the first set 6-2, Tennis Majors details.

The second set mirrored the script of the first. Gauff again broke immediately to establish a 2-0 lead, held through deuce for 3-0, and extended her advantage to 5-2. Pegula mounted a resilient late charge, breaking Gauff's serve to narrow the deficit to 5-4. However, just as she had done in the opening set, Gauff countered instantly, breaking Pegula's serve for the third time in the match to secure the 6-4 set and the title, Tennis Majors notes.

Match statistics underlined Gauff's superiority, particularly on return. While Pegula held a higher first-serve percentage at 64% compared to Gauff's 55%, Pegula won only 46% of the points on her opening delivery. Gauff capitalized on her opponent's opening delivery by converting five of six break points. Furthermore, Gauff won 67% of her own first-serve points, finished with a 61% to 48% edge in overall points won on serve, and dominated the return battle with 52% of points won to Pegula's 39%, resulting in an overall 62-48 points advantage, Tennis Majors reports.

"I thought she just played at a really high level and didn't really have many dips," Pegula said after the match, as reported by Newsday. "I didn't really think I played bad. The more you construct the point (against her), the worse it is because she almost likes to run. It was tough today. A dangerous, confident Coco is going to New York."

The head-to-head series between the two Americans now stands tied at five wins apiece, with Sunday marking their second meeting in a final following Gauff's victory at Wuhan last year, according to Newsday. The triumph also revives a parallel to Gauff's 2023 campaign, when her first Cincinnati title preceded her maiden Grand Slam victory at the U.S. Open, Tennis Majors notes.

Reflecting on her trajectory and the upcoming major, Gauff expressed measured perspective.

"I think it was a long journey, but I'm happy. I think it's night and day, the player I was last year to now. I don't think that this is an indicator that I'm going to do well in New York. Just knowing the quality ones that I had this week, hopefully I can use that experience."

Coco Gauff, WTA champion, via Newsday

Tournament Records and Season Standing

The victory brings Gauff's season win total to 40 and marks her ninth win in her last 10 matches, Tennis Majors reports. This match also represented Gauff's fourth top-10 victory of the year and the 37th of her career. While the result leaves the career head-to-head between the two Americans tied at five wins apiece, Gauff now holds a 2-0 advantage over Pegula for 2026.

Pegula's previous best performance at the event occurred in 2024, when she reached the final but lost to Aryna Sabalenka, according to Newsday.

Men's Final Results

The tournament also saw France's Arthur Fils claim his first Masters 1000 title by defeating American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0. At 22 years old, Fils is the youngest French champion in Masters 1000 history and only the second French player to win in Cincinnati after Guy Forget in 1991, Newsday reports.

The match was the first ATP Masters 1000 final to feature two Black players. Fils joins Ben Shelton and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as the third Black man to win a Masters 1000 title. For Tiafoe, the loss means he remains unable to become the first American male to win the Cincinnati title since Andy Roddick in 2006.

Despite the defeat, Tiafoe stated he would be recovered from hip and back issues within a week. For both Gauff and Fils, the next step is competing in the U.S. Open.