Coco Gauff dominated fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday, Aug. 23, to win her second Cincinnati Open women's singles title at Mason's Lindner Family Tennis Center, capping the first all-American women's final at the tournament in 56 years.
It wasn't close early. Gauff, ranked No. 4 in the world, stormed to a 5-0 lead in the first set before Pegula, the world No. 3, mounted a second-set rally to pull within 5-4. Gauff converted five of six break points to close out the match in 1 hour and 14 minutes, according to WLWT.
"I think it was a long journey, but I'm happy," Gauff told Sky Sports after the match. "I think it's night and day, the player I was last year to now."
The victory makes Gauff, 22, just the third player in the Open Era to win multiple women's singles titles in Cincinnati, joining Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka. She first won the Rookwood Cup in 2023, defeating Karolina Muchova. Sunday's win was her first tournament title of 2026.
A historic weekend at Lindner Family Tennis Center
The all-American final was the first since 1970, when Rosie Casals beat Nancy Richey. Pegula earned her spot by upsetting defending champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in Saturday, Aug. 22's semifinal, a win that marked her tour-leading 45th victory of the year and the 300th tour-level win of her career.
Pegula credited Gauff's aggressive play after Sunday's loss, calling her "a dangerous, confident Coco" heading to New York. She said the more you construct a point against Gauff, the worse it gets because Gauff thrives on the run.
The two players, the top-ranked Americans in women's singles, are former doubles partners who won five titles together during the 2022-23 seasons. Their head-to-head record is now tied at five wins apiece, according to The Score.
Men's final makes history too
In the men's final, France's Arthur Fils defeated American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 for his first ATP Masters 1000 title. It was the first Masters 1000 final between two Black players.
Fils, 22, became the youngest French champion in Masters 1000 history and the second French player to win in Cincinnati after Guy Forget in 1991.
Tournament draws record crowds to Mason
The 127th edition of the Cincinnati Open projected more than 300,000 fans to Mason's Lindner Family Tennis Center, located at 6100 Legacy Park Way, according to tournament organizers quoted by WCPO. The 2025 edition drew 285,000 fans and earned WTA and ATP Tournament of the Year honors.
Both Gauff and Pegula head to the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 30 in New York.
