Coco Gauff Wins 2026 Cincinnati Open Final vs. Jessica Pegula
Coco Gauff captured her second Cincinnati Open women’s singles title on Sunday, August 23, 2026, defeating fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 in a dominant straight-sets victory at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
The triumph marks Gauff’s first WTA title of 2026 and her fourth career WTA 1000 crown, snapping a 10-month title drought dating back to her victory in Wuhan last October.
Historic Dominance in Mason
The victory confirms the 22-year-old world No. 4 became just the third woman in the Open Era to win multiple titles at the Cincinnati Open, joining the elite company of tennis legends Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka.
The clash also marked a historic moment for American tennis, serving as the first all-American women’s final in Cincinnati in 56 years—the last being Rosie Casals’ victory over Nancy Richey in 1970.
Gauff’s performance throughout the week was nothing short of ruthless. After dropping her very first set of the tournament to Liudmila Samsonova in the opening round, she went on an incredible 12-set winning streak, surrendering a mere 32 games across those sets.
Match Breakdown
The final lasted just 1 hour and 14 minutes as Gauff consistently disrupted Pegula’s rhythm. In the first set, Gauff established dominance early with heavy groundstrokes and clinical baseline coverage. Despite Pegula breaking back late to make it 5-2, Gauff instantly answered with another break to seal the set 6-2.
Pegula, who advanced to the final after defeating defending champion Iga Świątek, put up a grittier fight in the second set. She managed to minimize her errors to stay within striking distance and broke Gauff to pull within 5-4, but Gauff once again shut the door immediately, breaking Pegula’s serve for the fifth time to take the match 6-4.
