Whether it be on the tennis court or with her post-match interviews, World No. 4 Coco Gauff has been putting on a show at the 2026 Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
On Saturday night, Gauff advanced to Sunday night’s championship match, where she will face off against close friend and former doubles partner Jessica Pegula.
She punched her ticket to the final with a dominant, straight-set victory over Sara Bejlek (6-4, 6-1), before acknowledging that three of the four participants in Sunday’s final are American players; Frances Tiafoe faces Arthur Fils in the men’s final.
After pointing out the American dominance in Cincinnati, Gauff playfully took a shot at her male counterparts for their struggles in Grand Slam and Masters tournaments over the years.
WATCH: Viral Coco Gauff post-match interview leaves ‘Kyrgios catching strays’
Coco Gauff Trolls American Men’s Tennis Stars
“It’s great to, you know, see the men catch up,” Coco quipped. “I’m just kidding, I’m kidding. No, obviously, I think American tennis is in great hands. We have a lot of great guys and women on both sides, and they’re all great people, and it was great to see Frances get to the final.
“He’s someone that works so hard and definitely deserves it, and, obviously, Taylor [Fritz], Brandon [Nakashima] making quarters and semis, and Ben [Shelton] winning in Montreal.”
It was a playful jab from Coco, but one that does carry some truth.
The last time an American man won a Grand Slam tournament was September 7, 2013, when Andy Roddick defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain to win the US Open. Perhaps this year’s US Open can be the tournament that breaks the 13-year slump.
When it comes to Masters 1000 tournaments, there has been a bit more success, but only three have been won since John Isner at the 2018 Miami Open. The most recent Masters 1000 champions on the American men’s side have been Taylor Fritz (2022 Indian Wells) and Ben Shelton (2025 and 2026 Canadian Open).
Now, back to Coco. We’ll have to see if she can keep her hot streak going against Pegula on Sunday night, and whether she can keep the momentum rolling into the US Open. Sunday night’s championship match is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET.
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