Coco Gauff
Arthur Fils
- Fils beats Tiafoe to win biggest title of career
Coco Gauff beat third seed Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 in the Cincinnati Open final, securing her first title of 2026 in one hour and 14 minutes. The 22-year-old American is now the third two-time champion of this WTA 1000 event, after Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka.
When Gauff won Cincinnati in 2023 she captured the US Open title three weeks later. Her victory in Cincinnati is her first WTA title since Wuhan in October, and she enters the US Open period with momentum and a WTA ranking of world number four.
“I think with each match I felt more confident in trusting the work I put in and the practice — knowing that I can figure out these matches,” Gauff said after the final. “It’s going to be tough in New York, but the quality wins this week show I can win even when I’m not at my best, and I can also play great tennis.”
Qualifying for the US Open began on Sunday and the main draw starts on Sunday, 30 August.
In the men’s final, Arthur Fils won his first ATP Masters 1000 title, defeating American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0. The 22-year-old Frenchman had missed nine months with a stress fracture in his back and returned to the tour in February; since his comeback he has won two ATP Tour titles.
“Wow, that feels good. That feels good,” Fils said after the match. He rises to a career-high 11 in the ATP rankings and described the victory as the result of long training, sacrifice and recovery from injury.
