Coco Gauff Defeats Sara Bejlek to Reach Cincinnati Open Final
On August 23, 2026, fourth-ranked American Coco Gauff defeated Czech player Sara Bejlek 6-4, 6-1 in the Cincinnati Open semifinal, ending the unseeded player’s giant-killing run and securing a spot in the hard-court final on Center Court in Mason, according to match reports from Tennis Temple and The Cincinnati Enquirer.
The semifinal match lasted 1 hour and 16 minutes. Gauff’s victory over the world No. 35 halted a remarkable streak for the 20-year-old Czech competitor. Bejlek had arrived in the semifinal after collecting five consecutive wins in Cincinnati, a run that included victories over Madison Keys and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, alongside wins against Ekaterina Alexandrova and Barbora Krejčíková, as detailed by Cincinnati.com.
Bejlek tested the fourth-ranked American early in the contest. Gauff jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set before Bejlek fought back, breaking serve twice and holding twice to level the score at 4-4. When pressured, Gauff responded by breaking the unseeded player in the ninth game and holding serve in the tenth to secure the first set 6-4.
Momentum shifted firmly toward the American in the second set. Gauff won 100% of her points on the first serve, broke Bejlek three times, and claimed 27 of 39 total points to close out the set 6-1. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, Gauff remarked after the match, “I was just trying to stay focused. Sometimes you don’t know if you should be aggressive and risk making mistakes. I was just trying to stay focused on each ball.”
The win advances Gauff to a historic championship matchup. She will face compatriot Jessica Pegula, who defeated reigning champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the other semifinal. According to Cincinnati.com, this marks the first time two American women have met in the Cincinnati Open final since 1970, when Rosemary Casals defeated Nancy Richey for the title.
Gauff carries a strong hard-court record into the final. Across her last nine completed hard-court matches, she has recorded eight victories, including prior wins over Marta Kostyuk, Marie Bouzkova, and Liudmila Samsonova, according to Tennis Temple. Having previously captured the 2023 title over Karolina Muchova, Gauff is now seeking her second Cincinnati Open crown and her first title of the 2026 season.
As Gauff and Pegula prepare to battle for the Rookwood Cup on Sunday, August 23, the tournament highlights a rare milestone in American tennis history, pitting two top-5 WTA stars against one another in Mason.