Coco Gauff defeats Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 to secure second Cincinnati Open title

Final victory and match control

Coco Gauff secured the Cincinnati Open title on Sunday with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Jessica Pegula in 75 minutes. The 22-year-old world number four established control immediately, building a 5-0 lead in less than 30 minutes and closing the opening set in 34 minutes. In the second set, Gauff took a 3-0 lead before Pegula broke back as Gauff served for the match at 5-2. Gauff responded by breaking Pegula to love at 5-4, converting her first match point to finish the contest. Over the course of the final, Gauff won 65% of her first-serve points compared to 47% for Pegula and converted five of six break points.

Technical overhaul and service turnaround

The victory marked a sharp contrast with Gauff's experience in Cincinnati twelve months earlier, when she exited in the quarter-finals against Jasmine Paolini while committing 16 double faults and 62 unforced errors. Following that defeat, Gauff hired biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan just before the 2025 US Open to rebuild her service motion alongside longtime coach J.C. Faurel. During Sunday's final, Gauff recorded serves reaching 123 mph and reached deuce on her own serve only once. Gauff addressed the frustration that drove her technical changes during her post-match press conference.

Last year I was just frustrated with my game, and I felt like I was declining, and it's not something any player wants to feel. You always want to feel like you're getting better.

Milestone achievements and head-to-head balance

The title is Gauff's first tournament win of 2026 and her fourth career WTA 1000 trophy, following earlier runner-up finishes in Miami and Rome this season. Gauff previously won the Cincinnati tournament in 2023, joining Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka as the only women to win multiple Cincinnati titles in the Open Era. The result also brought the career head-to-head series between Gauff and Pegula to 5-5, duplicating Gauff's win over Pegula in the Wimbledon quarter-finals earlier this season. The match was the first all-American women's final at Cincinnati since Rosie Casals defeated Nancy Richey in 1970. Pegula entered the final after playing three three-set matches earlier in the week, including a 2-hour and 47-minute semifinal victory over defending champion Iga Swiatek on Saturday.

Tournament run and men's Masters result

Throughout the tournament, Gauff lost only one set, dropping her opening set in the first round against Liudmila Samsonova before winning 12 consecutive sets while conceding 32 games. The win provides Gauff with competitive momentum before the US Open in New York, the site of her 2023 Grand Slam victory. In the men's singles final at Cincinnati, 22-year-old Arthur Fils defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 to capture his first Masters 1000 title and fifth career ATP trophy. The contest between Fils and Tiafoe marked the first men's Masters 1000 final contested between two Black players.