Cincinnati Open 2026 | Final Roundup

The 2026 Cincinnati Open ended with Coco Gauff back on top in Ohio.

Gauff defeated Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 in Sunday’s all-American final, claiming her second Cincinnati Open championship and her first title of the 2026 season.

Three years after winning Cincinnati during the breakthrough summer that preceded her first US Open title, Gauff has done it again.

And once again, New York comes next.

Main Highlight: Gauff Finds Her Cincinnati Formula Again

Coco Gauff arrived in Cincinnati without a title in 2026.

She leaves with one of the biggest trophies available outside the Grand Slams.

The 22-year-old defeated Pegula in just one hour and 14 minutes, producing her most convincing performance at exactly the right moment.

It was Gauff’s second Cincinnati championship after her 2023 triumph.

That puts her in rare company.

Only three women have won Cincinnati multiple times during the Open Era:

Victoria Azarenka — 2013, 2020

Serena Williams — 2014, 2015

Coco Gauff — 2023, 2026

For a player who had reached semifinals and finals throughout the season without lifting a trophy, Cincinnati finally provided the breakthrough.

Gauff Races Away With the Opening Set

There was little indication of a close final during the opening stages.

Gauff raced to a 5-0 lead, immediately putting Pegula under pressure with her movement, depth and increasingly confident forehand.

Pegula finally got onto the scoreboard, but the damage had already been done.

Gauff closed out the opening set 6-2.

The player who had needed three sets to survive her first Cincinnati match against Liudmila Samsonova was now one set away from the championship.

Pegula Fights Back — But Gauff Holds Firm

Pegula offered considerably more resistance in the second set.

The No. 3 seed had already demonstrated her ability to survive difficult situations throughout Cincinnati, particularly in three-set victories over Amanda Anisimova and defending champion Iga Swiatek.

For a time, another comeback appeared possible.

But Gauff refused to allow the match to turn.

She secured the decisive break and closed out the second set 6-4, completing a straight-sets victory over one of the most consistent players on the WTA Tour this season.

6-2, 6-4.

Coco Gauff was Cincinnati champion again.

From Doubles Partners to Cincinnati Finalists

There was another layer to Sunday’s championship match.

Gauff and Pegula know each other extremely well.

When Gauff was establishing herself on tour as a teenager, Pegula became one of the players who helped her navigate life at the highest level of professional tennis.

They eventually became doubles partners.

And very successful ones.

Gauff and Pegula teamed regularly during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, reaching eight finals together and winning five titles.

At the same time, they were competing against each other as two of America’s best singles players.

That made Sunday’s final unusual.

Two players who had spent years standing on the same side of the net were now standing across from one another with a WTA 1000 championship between them.

Off the court, the friendship remained.

On it, Gauff gave very little away.

A Historic All-American Final

The championship was also a significant moment for American women’s tennis.

It was the first all-American Cincinnati women’s final since 1970, when Rosie Casals defeated Nancy Richey.

Fifty-six years later, Gauff and Pegula brought the matchup back.

Both arrived with legitimate claims to the trophy.

Pegula entered the final with a tour-leading 45 victories in 2026 and had just recorded the 300th tour-level singles win of her career by beating Swiatek.

Gauff arrived having become increasingly convincing with every Cincinnati round.

By Sunday night, there was little doubt which player had found her best tennis.

Gauff’s Cincinnati Transformation

Gauff’s tournament did not begin like that.

Her first match against Liudmila Samsonova started with a 2-6 opening-set loss.

She recovered.

From that point onward, Gauff did not lose another set.

Liudmila Samsonova — 2-6, 6-4, 6-1

Ann Li — 6-1, 7-6(3)

Marie Bouzkova — 6-3, 6-2

Marta Kostyuk — 6-2, 6-2

Sara Bejlek — 6-4, 6-1

Jessica Pegula — 6-2, 6-4

The deeper Cincinnati progressed, the stronger Gauff became.

That progression may ultimately matter almost as much as the trophy.

Another Cincinnati Title Before New York

There is an obvious historical echo.

In 2023, Gauff won Cincinnati.

Weeks later, she won the US Open.

The circumstances are different three years later.

Gauff is no longer the teenager trying to win her first Grand Slam. She is an established major champion carrying considerably different expectations.

But Cincinnati again provides something valuable immediately before New York:

confidence on a North American hard court.

Gauff has spent part of the past year continuing to reshape elements of her game, including her serve.

In Cincinnati, those changes began producing something tangible.

A title.

Pegula Falls Short After Another Excellent Run

The final score shouldn’t diminish Jessica Pegula’s tournament.

Pegula arrived in Cincinnati as one of the most consistent players on the WTA Tour and demonstrated exactly why.

She defeated Simona Waltert, Emma Navarro, Sorana Cirstea, Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek to reach the championship match.

The Anisimova quarterfinal went to a deciding-set tiebreak.

The Swiatek semifinal lasted nearly three hours.

Pegula survived both.

She ultimately ran into a player producing her best tennis of the tournament.

For the second time in three years, Pegula leaves Cincinnati as a finalist.

The trophy remains elusive.

Her consistency does not.

Bejlek Leaves as Cincinnati’s Breakout Story

Gauff won the tournament.

But Sara Bejlek may have produced its most unexpected story.

The 20-year-old Czech arrived without a Top-10 victory or a WTA 1000 quarterfinal appearance.

Then she started winning.

Karolina Pliskova.

Barbora Krejcikova.

Ekaterina Alexandrova.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Madison Keys.

By the time Gauff finally stopped Bejlek in the semifinals, her Cincinnati run had transformed her from another player in a 96-player draw into one of the names of the tournament.

She leaves Cincinnati with her first victory over a World No. 1, her first Top-10 win, her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal and her first WTA 1000 semifinal.

Cincinnati found its champion in Gauff.

It also introduced a much wider audience to Bejlek.

Noskova and Bouzkova Take the Doubles Crown

The women’s doubles championship was decided Saturday, with Linda Noskova and Marie Bouzkova defeating Magali Kempen and Alexandra Panova 6-1, 6-2.

The Czech pairing dominated the final to complete an impressive run through the 32-team draw.

Their title also gave Czech tennis something to celebrate after Bejlek’s singles breakthrough.

Cincinnati 2026: The Stories We’ll Remember

The final score belongs to Coco Gauff.

But Cincinnati produced far more than one champion.

Alexandra Eala reached the third round before pushing Amanda Anisimova through three sets.

Anisimova continued a remarkable return to the upper levels of the sport after stepping away from professional tennis in 2023.

Elena Rybakina came within two victories of potentially reaching World No. 1 before an ankle injury ended her tournament.

Aryna Sabalenka suffered the upset of the tournament.

And Sara Bejlek turned that upset into something much bigger by proving it was not an isolated result.

Then there was Gauff.

She arrived without a title this season.

She lost the first set she played.

She didn’t lose another one.

Six matches later, she was holding the trophy.

Coco Gauff is the 2026 Cincinnati Open champion.

And now the women’s tour turns toward New York.

More from the WTA Cincinnati 2026 Roundup

Follow our daily Cincinnati 2026 coverage with singles and doubles results, notable performances and official WTA match highlights.

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