American tennis star Coco Gauff defeated fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday to win her second Cincinnati Open title.
The final was historic, marking the first all-American women’s singles final at the Cincinnati Open in 56 years. The last time two American women met in the Cincinnati final was in 1970, when Rosie Casals defeated Nancy Richey.
Gauff made a dominant start to Sunday’s final, racing to a 5-0 lead in the opening set before taking it 6-2. Pegula fought back in the second set, closing the gap to 5-4, but Gauff held her nerve to serve out the match.
Gauff won five of six break points during the match.
The victory adds another Cincinnati title to Gauff’s collection after she won the tournament in 2023 by defeating Karolina Muchova. Her 2023 Cincinnati triumph was followed by her first Grand Slam title at the US Open.
Gauff and Pegula have now split their 10 career meetings, with the head-to-head record tied at 5-5. This was their second meeting in a final, with Gauff also defeating Pegula in the Wuhan final last year.
After the match, Gauff praised Pegula and her team, recalling the support she received from Pegula when she was beginning her professional career.
With Gauff returning to the US Open as a confident Cincinnati champion, Pegula described her as a dangerous opponent heading into New York.
