It is safe to say that Coco Gauff has returned to her dominant best in the hard-court season. She first reached the semifinals at the National Bank Open and followed that up by triumphing at the Cincinnati Masters. Gauff defeated Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 in the All-American final to lift her first title of the year. Highlighting the importance of the victory, she reflected on her defeat in the competition last year, which resulted in her crying in the parking lot.

“I would like to thank God for just bringing me through this, these tough periods,” she said in her winning speech. “Last year, I was literally in the parking lot in tears, so it’s a big difference what a year can make. So, I thank him for pulling me through.”

Notably, Gauff had been eliminated in the quarterfinal of the Cincinnati Masters last year. She bowed out with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 defeat to Jasmine Paolini. Unlike this year, she had a disappointing American swing last season and suffered Round of 16 exits in both the Canadian and US Open. So, it’s not a surprise that a turnaround in form means so much to her.

Gauff also paid a heartfelt tribute to her family in the speech. They weren’t present in the stands for the final, so she gave them a video call right after the match’s conclusion and chatted with them for some time before the ceremony.

“Thank you to my parents back at home, my brothers, my grandparents, all the family and friends that have been cheering for me, praying for me. I facetimed them right there on the bench. It was good to see their faces and smile. Usually, I just get a good job text, so it was nice to get a little bit more than that,” she added.

The victory saw Gauff become just the third player after Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams to capture two titles in Cincinnati. She had previously won the title in 2023 and had then gone on to clinch the US Open title as well. A similar story can pan out this year, as Gauff will definitely be one of the favorites for the women’s singles crown.

The 22-year-old showed her dominance in the final as she wrapped up the match in just an hour and 14 minutes. She never trailed in the match and clinched five breaks in comparison to Pegula’s tally of two. This was Gauff’s second victory of the year in the matchup.

She had defeated Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in Wimbledon’s quarterfinals as well. This result saw Gauff equalize Pegula 5-5 in the H2H record. The two have been involved in some evenly matched contests over the years, but their latest one can’t be counted in that category.

Both of them are among the top contenders for the US Open title this year, and it remains to be seen whether they will have their third meeting of the year at the Grand Slam.