CINCINNATI — Coco Gauff made a statement Sunday (Monday in Manila) with the US Open approaching, dominating Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 to win her first title of 2026 at the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati.
World number four Gauff claimed her first WTA title since last October in Wuhan, having come up short in finals in Miami and Rome this year.
Her victory over third-ranked Pegula gave her a second Cincinnati crown. Gauff earned her first in 2023, going on to claim the first of her two Grand Slam titles at the US Open that year.
The first all-American WTA final in Cincinnati since Rosie Casals beat Nancy Richey in 1970 was a lopsided affair.
Gauff insisted it shouldn’t be considered a barometer for the US Open, but admitted it was a welcome confidence boost.
“I don’t think that this is an indicator that I’m going to do well in New York or anything like that to be honest,” Gauff said, but added: “(I’m going in) knowing that I can figure out these matches (even if) I’m not playing my best, but also knowing that I can play that great tennis that I felt I was playing this week.
“Hopefully I can use the experience here in New York.”
Gauff polished off an impressive tournament with victory in 75 minutes and will head to New York riding a wave of confidence for the start of the US Open next Sunday.
It’s a far cry from an early exit in Cincinnati last year, which Gauff said left her “in the parking lot in tears” after she coughed up 16 double-faults in defeat.
“It’s a big difference, what a year can make,” added Gauff, who was so bothered by her service struggles this time last year that she hired a new coach days before the US Open.
“Last year I was just frustrated with my game, and I felt like I was declining,” she said. “It’s not something any player wants to feel. You always want to feel like you’re getting better, at the worst, like just plateauing.”
This time around Gauff was rock-solid on serve and Pegula, coming off a hard-fought win over defending champion Iga Swiatek, had no answer for Gauff’s speed and aggression.
Gauff broke Pegula twice for a 4-0 lead and was up 5-0 before Pegula got on the scoreboard, holding serve and clawing back a break.
It was a brief reprieve as Gauff broke again to pocket the opening set after 34 minutes.
The second set was more of the same, Gauff breaking on the way to a 3-0 lead and Pegula playing catch-up.
Gauff sealed victory on her first match point to conclude 12 days of tennis at the sprawling Midwest venue.
Gauff’s win squared the career series between the two at five wins each. Gauff won her second match this season against Pegula after defeating her compatriot in a Wimbledon quarter-final.
Pegula was not displeased with her own performance heading into the final Grand Slam of the season.
“I don’t think I played bad but you played a very high level, it was not fun to play against,” she told Gauff during the trophy ceremony.
“You have amazing momentum heading into the US Open.” AFP
MONTREAL, Canada — Miyu Yamashita fired a four-under-par 66 to polish off a wire-to-wire victory in the LPGA Canadian Women’s Open on Sunday (Monday in Manila), beating fellow Japanese player Yuri Yoshida by nine strokes.
Yamashita’s fourth round in the 60s at Royal Mayfair in Edmonton gave her a 23-under par total of 257 and her second win of 2026, and her fourth victory in 13 months.
Those triumphs include last year’s Women’s British Open, which helped her gain rookie of the year honors in 2025.
Leading by six shots to start the day, Yamashita birdied the second, then bounced back from a bogey at the fourth with a birdie at the fifth.
She added four more birdies and a bogey the rest of the way, sealing her week with a birdie at the final hole.
That saw her tie the LPGA record for total strokes in a 72 hole event of 257, although she didn’t break the tour’s record for low score in relation to par.
Kim Sei-young’s 257 to win in Wisconsin in 2018 was a 31-under effort on a par-72 course.
Although she’d been in control since an opening-round 62, Yamashita said she was nervous going into the round, telling herself to trust her swing.
Yoshida had one eagle, one birdie and two bogeys in her one-under 69 to finish alone in second on 14-under.
Kim had an eagle and three birdies in her 67 for third on 13-under.
American Gina Kim, who started the day tied for second, shot one-over to finish tied for fourth with China’s Yin Ruoning and Canadian Anna Huang on 12-under.
