COCO Gauff captured her second Cincinnati Open title on Sunday (Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, PH time), defeating fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 in the final, while France’s Arthur Fils won his first Masters 1000 crown by beating American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that Gauff raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening set before taking it 6-2. Pegula fought back in the second, pulling within 5-4, but Gauff closed out the match after converting five of six break points.
The victory gave Gauff her second Cincinnati title after she won the tournament in 2023 by beating Karolina Muchova. It also capped an impressive week in which she won all five of her matches in straight sets.
“I think it was a long journey, but I’m happy,” Gauff said, according to AP. “I think it’s night and day, the player I was last year to now.”
Gauff and Pegula had set up the first all-American women’s final in Cincinnati in 56 years after winning their respective semifinals Saturday. Pegula upset defending champion Iga Swiatek, while Gauff defeated Sara Bejlek.
The last all-American women’s final in Cincinnati was in 1970, when Rosie Casals beat Nancy Richey.
Pegula, who lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 final, was unable to win her first Cincinnati title. Sunday’s result also leveled the career head-to-head series between Gauff and Pegula at 5-5. Their only previous final meeting came in Wuhan last year, where Gauff won.
“A dangerous, confident Coco is going to New York,” Pegula said in the AP report.
Fils bags plum
In the men’s final, Fils rallied from a second-set collapse to beat Tiafoe and become the third Black man to win a Masters 1000 title, joining Ben Shelton and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The 22-year-old Fils is also the youngest Frenchman to win a Masters 1000 title and the second French player to win in Cincinnati after Guy Forget in 1991.
Fils dominated the opening set, winning 12 of the first 13 points to take a 3-0 lead and eventually win 6-3. Tiafoe responded by racing to a 3-0 advantage in the second set and forcing a decider.
Tiafoe received massage treatment on his upper left leg and lower back during the break before the third set. Fils then took control, winning 6-0 and saving three championship points in the final game before sealing the victory.
Fils finished with 11 aces and won 71 percent of his first-serve points. He also improved to 10-0 in deciding sets this year and 8-0 against American opponents.
“Very happy with that,” Fils was quoted by AP as saying. “It’s been a tough last year. I didn’t play the French Open (due to a hip injury). I lost early in Washington. People think that I’m done. But here we are. I got the title.”
Tiafoe, who lost to Jannik Sinner in the 2024 Cincinnati final, was trying to become the first American man to win the tournament since Andy Roddick in 2006.
“I’m going to have two Cincinnati finals trophies at the crib,” Tiafoe said. “I wish they were both champion ones. Losing on Sunday sucks.”
Fils also won his previous meeting with Tiafoe in Miami last year, again in three sets. / LBG
