Coco Gauff and Arthur Fils won the 2026 Cincinnati Open singles titles on Sunday to set themselves up for a tilt at the upcoming US Open.
Fourth seed Gauff defeated third seed Jessica Pegula 6-2 6-4 in the first all-American women’s final for 56 years, while 21st seed Fils overcame 17th seed Frances Tiafoe 6-3 1-6 6-0 in the men’s showpiece.
Gauff peaking at the right time
After the win, Gauff said on Sky Sports: “I think it was a long journey, but I’m happy.
“I think it’s night and day, the player I was last year to now.
“I don’t think that this is an indicator that I’m going to do well in New York [at the US Open] – just knowing the quality wins that I had this week, hopefully I can use that experience.”
Pegula praised her opponent, saying: “I thought she just played at a really high level and didn’t really have many dips.
“I didn’t really think I played bad.
“The more you construct the point, the worse it is because she almost likes to run.
“It was tough – a dangerous, confident Coco is going to New York.”
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Fils buries injury ghosts with win
In the wake of a career-defining victory, Fils admitted on Sky Sports: “That feels good.
“There’s a lot of training, a lot of sacrifice, injury.
“To be able to win a title like this, it means a lot to me – I don’t have any words to describe this.
“It feels so good. A little bit of relief as well.”
Analysing the match, former British number one Annabel Croft stated of Fils: “He talked about the sacrifices he made and the injuries he has had, but what a performance that was in the final set.
“He played flawless tennis in the first set, but he regrouped so well in that final set – and breath-taking movement to watch him courtside.
“He’s so agile, he’s like a ballet dancer, and we saw every kind of shot that he could possibly come up with to win this title.
“And to take on a home crowd as well, it was really impressive.”
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SportJustSport writers 
Aidan Leo