Coco Gauff has been in superb form as of late.
The American superstar claimed her second Cincinnati Open title on Sunday after beating compatriot Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 in the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
Gauff, 22, dropped just one set en route to the title in Ohio.
Gauff has made significant improvements to her game over the past month – particularly in the serving department.
| Statistical Area | 2025 | 2026 |
| Service hold % | 68.2 | 70.5 |
| Ace % | 4.3 | 4.4 |
| Double fault % | 10 | 7.8 |
| First-serve % | 61.6 | 63 |
| First-serve points won [%] | 68.3 | 68.7 |
| Second-serve points won [%] | 43.1 | 43 |
| Total service points won [%] | 58.6 | 59.2 |
The 22-year-old struggled mightily on serve last year. During the North American hard-court swing, Gauff was regularly hitting double-digit double-fault numbers during her matches.
Shortly before the 2025 US Open, Gauff enlisted the help of biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan; who previously assisted Aryna Sabalenka with her serving issues.
Gauff seems to have finally found her rhythm on serve, as evidenced by her strong play in recent weeks.
Rennae Stubbs has offered her thoughts on Gauff’s improved serve and revealed what she messaged Gavin MacMillan after the American’s latest title win.
Is Coco Gauff the third-best player on the WTA Tour? 🤔
If not, who is?
Rennae Stubbs’ message to Gavin MacMillan ahead of the US Open
“I have to say, Coco is looking really good. I will tell you why – it’s because her serve looks so much smoother than it has in the past,” the Australian, a former world number one in doubles, said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.
“I know Gavin very well, her serving biomechanics coach who helped Sabalenka. I texted him after the match and said, ‘Gavin, well done, the serve looks great.’
“Is it going to continue that way into the US Open, where she has a lot more pressure on her?
“I don’t know. But I hope so, because if it does, she is going to be really hard to beat. The way she was playing this week looked like when she won the US Open a couple of years ago.”
Gauff also won the 2023 Cincinnati Open, beating Karolina Muchova in the final.
Three weeks later, Gauff held the US Open trophy aloft for the first time after fighting back from a set down against Aryna Sabalenka.
“She was not missing a backhand,” Stubbs said of Gauff’s 2026 Cincinnati Open campaign. “Last year she was going through periods where she was missing them.
“Her forehand was up and down at times, but the serve looks fantastic, and her confidence is sky high.
Coco Gauff’s 2026 Cincinnati Open campaign
- R2: beat Liudmila Samsonova 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
- R3: beat Ann Li 6-1, 7-6
- R4: beat Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 6-2
- QF: beat Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2
- SF: beat Sara Bejlek 6-4, 6-1
- F: beat Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4
“She crushed Marta Kostyuk. She had nowhere to go on the court. Coco was getting everything back and even Jess said ‘it was impossible to hit a winner on you, you just played too well’.
“That’s how I feel a lot of players get when they play against Coco. There is nowhere to go.”
Gauff will discover her route to the US Open title when the women’s singles draw is published later this week.
Aryna Sabalenka is the defending champion in New York. The Belarusian defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6 in last year’s final.
Which WTA player will leave the US Open as the world number one?
Four women are in contention!
How did Coco Gauff react after winning the 2023 US Open?
Gauff, then 19 years old, roared back from a set down to defeat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the 2023 US Open final.
Gauff became the first American teenager to win the US Open Women’s Singles title since Serena Williams in 1999.
“[Venus and Serena] are the reason why I have this trophy today, to be honest,” Gauff said after clinching the title. “They have allowed me to believe in this dream growing up.”
“A month ago, I won a 500 title and people said I would stop at that,” she later added. “Two weeks ago, I won a 1000 title and people were saying that was the biggest it was gonna get.
“Three weeks later, I’m here with this trophy right now. I tried my best to carry this with grace and I’ve been doing my best.
“Honestly, to those who thought they were putting water in my fire, you were really adding gas to it. And now I’m really burning so bright.”
