Coco Gauff joined select company with a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Jessica Pegula in the Cincinnati Open final Sunday.

By winning the tournament’s first all-American final since 1970, Gauff did more than capture her first title of the year on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz. She joined Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka as the only women to win the WTA 1000 event twice. Gauff also won the title in 2023 before claiming her first Grand Slam championship at the US Open.

Gauff was dominant throughout the week. After dropping the opening set of her first match against Liudmila Samsonova, she won 12 consecutive sets while conceding just 32 games.

Speaking to reporters after the final, Gauff stopped short of suggesting that her Cincinnati run would lead to another US Open title. But she said the confidence she gained should serve her well in New York.

“I think with each match, I was feeling more and more confident in trusting the work that I put in and the practice,” she said. 

“Knowing that I can figure out these matches, and it’s going to be tough in New York, but just knowing the quality wins that I had this week, knowing that I’m able to figure it out even if I’m not playing my best, but also knowing that I can play that great tennis that I felt like I was playing this week.”

In a 1-hour and 14-minute final, the trend continued as Gauff never trailed. She opened up a 5-0 lead in less than a half hour on court, and things only got complicated when she was already ahead 6-2, 5-2. She failed to serve out the match in the eighth game of the second set, but broke Pegula at love to finish the match. 

In her runner-up speech, Pegula called Gauff “like a backboard today.”

“It was not fun to play against,” she said jokingly. “I didn’t even think I played bad.”

Gauff’s final line agreed with Pegula’s assessment. She won 65% of points on the first serve (to Pegula’s 47%) and converted five of six break points. She was a constant presence in Pegula’s service games — winning 32 points — as she herself was only taken to deuce once.

“I think it was a long journey, but I’m happy,” Gauff said. “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. Just knowing the quality ones that I had this week, hopefully I can use that experience.”