Gauff Ends Bejlek’s Dream Run as Pegula Dethrones Swiatek | WTA Cincinnati 2026

Cincinnati Open Final: Coco Gauff Beats Pegula for Second Title says:

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Cincinnati Open 2026 Semifinals Roundup

The 2026 Cincinnati Open women’s singles final is set — and for the first time in 56 years, it will be an all-American affair.

Jessica Pegula defeated defending champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in a gripping three-set semifinal, before Coco Gauff ended Sara Bejlek’s extraordinary Cincinnati run with a 6-4, 6-1 victory.

That gives Cincinnati a championship match between two of America’s leading players:

Jessica Pegula vs. Coco Gauff.

But before turning toward the final, Day 10 deserves one last look at the player who became the unexpected face of this tournament.

Main Highlight: Bejlek’s Cincinnati Dream Finally Ends

Eventually, someone had to stop Sara Bejlek.

It took Coco Gauff.

After a Cincinnati run that included victories over former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, Barbora Krejcikova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys, the 20-year-old Czech finally met an opponent she could not overcome.

Gauff defeated Bejlek 6-4, 6-1 to reach the Cincinnati final.

The score suggests a relatively straightforward victory.

The first set wasn’t.

Gauff Has to Solve Bejlek

Bejlek entered her first WTA 1000 semifinal having repeatedly demonstrated that reputation meant very little to her.

She had already beaten three Grand Slam champions during the tournament, including the current World No. 1.

Gauff therefore knew exactly what kind of opponent was waiting.

The opening set remained competitive, with Bejlek again showing the athleticism and willingness to fight through points that had carried her through the draw.

But Gauff found the separation she needed.

She took the first set 6-4.

And unlike Sabalenka and Keys before her, she did not allow Bejlek back into the match.

Gauff Pulls Away

Once Gauff secured the opening set, the semifinal changed.

The former Cincinnati champion increasingly controlled the rallies and put Bejlek under pressure.

The second set moved quickly.

6-1.

After everything Bejlek had survived during the previous nine days, Cincinnati had finally found her limit.

It came against one of the best defensive athletes in women’s tennis — and a player who knows exactly what it takes to win this tournament.

Gauff is back in the Cincinnati final for the first time since winning the title in 2023.

Bejlek Leaves Cincinnati With Much More Than a Semifinal

The defeat shouldn’t obscure what Bejlek accomplished.

Before Cincinnati, she had never reached a WTA 1000 quarterfinal.

She had never defeated a Top-10 player.

Then this happened:

Karolina Pliskova — 6-0, 6-2

Barbora Krejcikova — 7-6(5), 6-4

Ekaterina Alexandrova — 4-6, 6-1, 6-2

Aryna Sabalenka — 7-6(7), 6-4

Madison Keys — 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5)

Five victories.

Three Grand Slam champions defeated.

Her first victory over a World No. 1.

Her first Top-10 win.

Her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal.

Then her first WTA 1000 semifinal.

Bejlek didn’t win Cincinnati.

But she leaves Ohio as one of the players people will remember from Cincinnati 2026.

From Surprise to Story

There’s an interesting distinction between producing an upset and producing a tournament run.

One upset can happen.

Two make people pay attention.

By the time Bejlek defeated Sabalenka and then backed it up against Keys, this was no longer about one extraordinary night.

She had become part of the tournament’s central story.

And perhaps the most telling thing about her Cincinnati run was the phrase she repeatedly returned to:

Keep believing.

Against Alexandrova, she needed it after losing the first set.

Against Sabalenka, she needed it in a 9-7 opening-set tiebreak.

Against Keys, she needed it after dropping the opening set and again when the deciding set reached a tiebreak.

Against Gauff, belief was finally not enough.

But Cincinnati has given Bejlek plenty of reasons to carry it with her.

Pegula Ends Swiatek’s Title Defense

If Gauff’s semifinal became increasingly comfortable, the other semifinal was anything but.

Jessica Pegula defeated Iga Swiatek 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 after nearly three hours of tennis.

Swiatek arrived riding a 10-match winning streak across Toronto and Cincinnati.

She was also attempting to defend the Cincinnati title.

Pegula ended both.

Pegula Takes a Tight Opening Set

There was little between the two players from the beginning.

Pegula eventually found the opening she needed late in the first set and took it 7-5.

Swiatek responded like a defending champion.

She took the second set 6-4, sending the semifinal into a deciding third.

And then the momentum appeared to shift further toward the Pole.

Pegula Comes Back From a Break Down

Swiatek moved ahead by a break in the deciding set.

Pegula was suddenly chasing the match.

She responded.

The American worked her way back into the set and eventually broke Swiatek at 4-4, after the defending champion had fought off three break points.

On the fourth, Swiatek double-faulted.

Pegula had the opportunity.

This time she finished it.

7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Cincinnati had a new finalist.

A Milestone Victory for Pegula

The win carried significance beyond reaching Sunday’s championship match.

It was Pegula’s 45th match victory of the season, the most on the WTA Tour.

It was also the 300th tour-level singles victory of her career.

And it ended Swiatek’s attempt to defend the Cincinnati title.

Pegula now gets another opportunity to win the tournament after previously reaching the Cincinnati final.

Standing between her and the trophy is someone she knows extremely well.

Cincinnati Gets an All-American Final

Jessica Pegula vs. Coco Gauff.

Two Americans.

Two established WTA 1000 champions.

Two players who have spent years alongside one another not only as singles rivals but also as one of the most successful doubles partnerships of their generation.

And now they meet for the Cincinnati title.

It will be the first all-American women’s singles final in Cincinnati in 56 years.

For Gauff, victory would bring her second Cincinnati championship after her breakthrough title here in 2023.

For Pegula, it would complete a tournament in which she has repeatedly survived difficult situations — most recently against Amanda Anisimova and Swiatek.

One match remains.

Noskova and Bouzkova Win the Doubles Title

While the singles finalists were being determined, Cincinnati crowned its women’s doubles champions.

Linda Noskova and Marie Bouzkova defeated Magali Kempen and Alexandra Panova 6-1, 6-2 to claim the WTA 1000 title.

The Czech pair needed only an hour to complete a dominant championship performance.

They broke for a 3-1 advantage in the opening set and never relinquished control, then opened the second set with another break before pulling away.

It was only their third tournament together.

And fittingly, on a day when Bejlek’s remarkable singles run ended, Czech women’s tennis still left Cincinnati with a championship trophy.

One Match Remains

The Cincinnati Open began with 96 women in the singles draw.

Now there are two.

Jessica Pegula.

Coco Gauff.

Behind them lie some of the tournament’s defining stories:

Alexandra Eala pushing Amanda Anisimova to three sets.

Anisimova continuing a remarkable career resurgence after stepping away from tennis.

Elena Rybakina coming within two victories of the World No. 1 ranking before injury ended her run.

Sabalenka’s shock defeat.

And Bejlek emerging from the draw to become Cincinnati’s breakout player.

Now the tournament gets its final chapter.

Jessica Pegula vs. Coco Gauff for the 2026 Cincinnati Open title.

An all-American final, 56 years in the making.