An all-US third round match at the 2026 Cincinnati Open belonged to Coco Gauff on Tuesday. She dropped Ann Li 6-1, 7-6 (3) to book a place in the Round of 16, extending her win streak over the No. 28 seed to 4-0.
Coco Gauff Adjusts Game to Dispatch Ann Li
In Cincinnati, Gauff set the tone quickly.
The two-time Grand Slam champion broke early and held the lead with easily, closing the opening set in 29 minutes. Li steadied in the second to wrangle two break-point chances, yet neither one converted.
From there, the No. 4 seed leaned on her serve. Gauff took 68% of her first-serve points to take home the win in the tiebreak.
"Honestly today was a little bit tougher for me coming from night to day, trying to control the ball a little bit, but overall I'm happy with how I played," Gauff said afterward.
"Ann's not an easy opponent to play. She has a lot of variety in her game, so I'm happy to get through."
2026 Cincinnati Open Sets Last 16 Rematch
The result marks Gauff's sixth WTA 1000 fourth-round appearance of the 2026 season.
It also keeps the 2023 Cincinnati champion in play for her first title of the year. Next comes a rematch with Marie Bouzkova, who beat Iva Jovic on Tuesday in a back-to-back tiebreaker.
