(Mason) American Coco Gauff became the first teenager in more than 50 years to win the Cincinnati tournament after beating Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday.
Gauff, a 2022 French Open runner-up, secured a first title at a 1000 caliber tournament when Muchova sent her forehand out of bounds.
The 19-year-old American threw her racquet in the air and she jumped for joy after beating her opponent in an hour and 56 minutes.
“It’s amazing,” Gauff said during the trophy presentation. I’m just happy to be here for this moment. I want to congratulate Karolina for her impressive run in the tournament. I hope we will face each other more often on such a big stage. »
Gauff became the tournament’s fourth teenage finalist and the first since Vera Zvonareva in 2004. She is the first teenage champion since Linda Tuero, who was then 17 in 1968.
Favorite Carlos Alcaraz will take on second-seeded Novak Djokovic in the men’s final. This is something of a rematch for Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.
After a first set in which there were five service breaks, Gauff took control with a break in the eighth game.
Gauff resisted two break points in the fourth game of the second set and then broke her opponent when Muchova sent her backhand on the outside.
The American missed her first three match points in the eighth game before closing the books.
“When I woke up this morning, the first thing I said was, ‘Ouch,’ Muchova said. I knew winning was going to be a tough task, especially against someone like Coco. »
Muchova, who was a finalist at Roland-Garros this year, will celebrate his 27th birthday on Monday by breaking into the top 10 of the WTA rankings.
