Coco Gauff needed three sets to keep her run in Cincinnati alive on Sunday night. The No. 4 seed dropped the match opener before beating Liudmila Samsonova 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, punching her ticket to the third round of the 2026 Cincinnati Open.
Rain Delay Powers Coco Gauff's Comeback in Cincinnati
The Russian jumped out fast, taking the first set 6-2 and forcing Gauff to reset after a weather delay. That reset came in the 10th game of the second, where the US star broke serve to level the match. Momentum shifted for good after that. Gauff reeled off the final five games of the decider and closed out her comeback in 2 hours, 6 minutes.
"I knew when I saw the draw and I had to play her, especially after her run in Toronto, I was like, this is a tough match," Gauff said after the win.
The result extended her perfect record against Samsonova to 5-0. It also gave her a 10th win from a set down this season, matching Jessica Pegula for the most on tour in 2026. Add in 15 three-set victories, the highest total on the WTA calendar this year, and 20 wins on hard courts, and the 22-year-old's season keeps stacking up.
Coco Gauff Sets All-U.S. 3rd-Round Cincinnati Open Clash
Next comes an all-US third-round meeting with No. 28 seed Ann Li, who dispatched Zhang Shuai 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday. Gauff owns the pair's head-to-head history 3-0.
A title run in Cincinnati would also give the 2023 champion her first trophy of 2026, with a runner-up finish at the Miami Open remaining her top hard-court result this season.
