Gauff, Fils win Cincinnati tennis titles in run-up to US Open

Gauff bushed Pegula for her 2nd Cincinnati Open trophy and Fils overcame Tiafoe for his archetypal Masters 1000 title.

Coco Gauff has defeated chap American Jessica Pegula, 6-2, 6-4, to seizure her 2nd women’s Cincinnati Open rubric arsenic she looks up to the US Open starting successful New York adjacent week.

Arthur Fils of France overcame American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0, successful the men’s last for his archetypal Masters 1000 title, with Sunday’s decider marking the archetypal clip 2 Black players competed successful an ATP Masters 1000 final.

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Gauff, who won the 2023 rubric beating Karolina Muchova and past went connected to triumph her archetypal Grand Slam astatine the US Open, stormed to a 5-0 pb successful the archetypal acceptable earlier winning it 6-2. Pegula battled backmost to 5-4 successful the 2nd earlier Gauff closed retired the win. Gauff won 5 of six interruption points.

The past clip 2 American women played successful the Cincinnati last was successful 1970, erstwhile Rosie Casals bushed Nancy Richey.

Pegula’s champion decorativeness successful Cincinnati came successful 2024, erstwhile she mislaid to Aryna Sabalenka successful the final.

In Saturday’s semifinals, Pegula bushed defending champion Iga Swiatek and Gauff defeated Sara Bejlek to acceptable up the archetypal all-American women’s last astatine the Cincinnati Open successful 56 years.

“I deliberation it was a agelong journey, but I’m happy,” Gauff said aft the match. “I deliberation it’s nighttime and day, the subordinate I was past twelvemonth to now. I don’t deliberation that this is an indicator that I’m going to bash good successful New York. Just knowing the prime ones that I had this week, hopefully I tin usage that experience.”

Gauff had 5 wins successful consecutive sets successful Cincinnati.

“I thought she conscionable played astatine a truly precocious level and didn’t truly person galore dips,” Pegula said.

“I didn’t truly deliberation I played badly. The much you conception the constituent [against her], the worse it is due to the fact that she astir likes to run. It was pugnacious today. A dangerous, assured Coco is going to New York.”

The head-to-head bid betwixt Gauff and Pegula is present tied astatine 5 apiece. Sunday was their 2nd gathering successful a final, with Gauff winning successful Wuhan past year.

The Fils-Tiafoe lucifer was the archetypal clip 2 Black players met successful an ATP Masters 1000 last [Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP]

Meanwhile, Fils became the 3rd Black antheral to triumph a Masters 1000 title, joining Ben Shelton, who won doubly successful Canada, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who won successful Paris successful 2008 and Canada successful 2014.

At 22 years old, Fils is the youngest French champion successful Masters 1000 history. He became the 2nd French subordinate to triumph a Cincinnati final, joining Guy Forget successful 1991.

“Very blessed with that,” Fils said. “It’s been a pugnacious past year. I didn’t play the French Open [due to a hep injury]. I mislaid aboriginal successful Washington. People deliberation that I’m done. But present we are. I got the title.”

It was the 2nd clip Tiafoe has appeared successful the Cincinnati Open final, losing to Jannik Sinner successful 2024. He was looking to go the archetypal American antheral to triumph successful Cincinnati since Andy Roddick successful 2006.

Tiafoe saved 3 title points successful the last crippled earlier Fils closed retired the victory.

The Frenchman had 11 aces and won 71 percent of his points connected archetypal serve. He improved to 10-0 successful deciding sets this twelvemonth and 8-0 against American opponents.

Fils besides won his lone erstwhile gathering with Tiafoe successful Miami past year, besides successful 3 sets.

“It feels precise bully to person a trophy adjacent to me, particularly Masters 1000,” Fils said. “Never won 1 before. You conscionable person to enactment affirmative and find a mode to marque it work. Being affirmative is going to assistance maine successful the adjacent weeks successful the US Open.”