‘Mad Respect’ – Coco Gauff Opens Up After Granting Jessica Pegula’s Wish for Historic Cincinnati Open Final

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula have set up a blockbuster all-American final on home soil at the 2026 Cincinnati Open. Ahead of their highly anticipated showdown, both stars opened up about their rivalry and heaped praise on each other after Gauff fulfilled Pegula’s wish for their battle.

What Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula Said Ahead of Their Cincinnati Open Final

Pegula advanced to the Cincinnati Open final after claiming a hard-fought 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Iga Świątek, dashing the Pole’s hopes of a successful title defense at the WTA 1000 event. The American then awaited the outcome of the other semifinal between Coco Gauff and Sára Bejlek to learn who she would face in the final.

Pegula revealed her preferred opponent during her post-match press conference, sharing that she would love to face Gauff. She highlighted their camaraderie and mutual respect while expressing her desire to win their potential battle.

“I’m always rooting for American tennis. We all get along so well. I think it would be awesome if it was Coco and I in a final. We’ve played in finals before and I think, win or lose, looking back on my career, to play someone that I get along with and that I have a lot of respect for as in Coco would be really cool and memorable whether I win or lose. Hopefully I win,” Pegula said.

The world No. 3 also said she wanted to be part of a historic all-American final at the Cincinnati Open, marking the first such instance since Rosie Casals and Nancy Richey played each other in 1970.

“But I think those moments are really special and I always think being able to do that with her is really cool. So, I would love to be able to play her. And I didn’t realize it was so long since we’ve had a double American final, but that’s really cool. So, I hope it happens and the crowd can just go out there and have fun and enjoy the match,” she added.

Gauff granted Pegula’s wish with a dominant 6-4, 6-1 win over Bejlek, who had enjoyed a dream run in Cincinnati, pulling off stunning upsets against Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys.

Speaking during her on-court interview, the two-time Grand Slam champion spoke highly of Pegula while bracing herself for a tough encounter after their three-set battle at the Wimbledon Championships in July.

“Jess is a great person and she’s one of the people when I came on tour, one of the older players who was so nice to me from the beginning and it’s something that I have such mad respect for her for and we had a tough match at Wimbledon and so I’m imagining it’s going to be another tough match,” Gauff said.

MORE:Iga Świątek Hit With ‘Ridiculous’ Heckle As Rain Disrupts Cincinnati Open Loss to Jessica Pegula

While Coco Gauff claimed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Jessica Pegula in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, Pegula holds a 5-4 lead in their head-to-head record. Following the title clash, both players will travel to New York for the US Open, with the main draw singles action scheduled to commence on Aug. 30.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.