The US Open is just around the corner, and former champion Coco Gauff will be looking to reclaim the title she captured two years ago.
Gauff won a maiden Grand Slam crown at Flushing Meadows in 2023, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final to hoist the trophy in front of a home crowd.
The American’s title defence in 2024 didn’t go to plan, however, having crashed out in the fourth round to compatriot Emma Navarro.
After adding a second major championship to her name at Roland Garros earlier this season, Gauff will be determined to improve on her campaign in New York last year and make it three.
Coco Gauff’s deep run in Cincinnati is exactly what she needs
She will have a great opportunity to do so if she continues her improved form in Cincinnati, where she has reached the quarterfinals.
Following her disappointing Wimbledon run, Gauff’s North American hard-court swing got off to a poor start when she lost to 18-year-old Victoria Mboko in the fourth round of the Canadian Open.
At the Cincinnati Open, however, she has quickly bounced back and earned two straight-set victories.
| Round | Opponent |
|---|---|
| Quarterfinal | Jasmine Paolini |
| Fourth Round | Lucia Bronzetti (W) |
| Third Round | Dayana Yastremska (Walkover) |
| Second Round | Wang Xinyu (W) |
Last year, Gauff lost in the third round of the Canadian Open and suffered defeat in her opening match in Cincinnati.
In 2023, however, before her US Open triumph, she reached the quarterfinals in Montreal and won the Cincinnati Open title.
Deep campaigns at Grand Slam tune-up events have always proven to be useful for eventual champions, and should Gauff go even further at the WTA 1000 event, she’ll put herself in a great position to win the fourth major of the year.
Coco Gauff’s quarterfinal opponent at the Cincinnati Open
In the quarterfinal of the Cincinnati Open, Gauff will play former multiple-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini.
The two have an even head-to-head record, having played each other four times on the WTA Tour and won twice.
Gauff emerged victorious in their first two bouts, which came in Adelaide in 2021 and in Cincinnati two years later.
However, Paolini has taken their two most recent meetings, both of which occurred this season at the Stuttgart Open and the Italian Open.
In their upcoming matchup, they will face each other on hard court for the first time since 2023, for a spot in the semifinals.
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