The Cincinnati Open has produced a historic weekend of tennis, with American stars dominating both the men’s and women’s draws. Jessica Pegula fought off six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in a gruelling near-three-hour battle to reach the final, while Frances Tiafoe booked his spot in the men’s final with a straight-sets win over fellow American Brandon Nakashima.
Third seed Pegula edged out Swiatek 7-5 4-6 6-4 in a match that featured a staggering 13 breaks of serve. According to BBC Sport’s coverage of the semi-final, Pegula admitted the contest swung wildly in momentum. “I felt like we were playing well at times and then not playing well at times, so it was really tough to get a gauge on the match,” she said. “Sometimes there’s matches like that where you just see a lot of breaks back and forth, and I just kept telling myself to not get too upset about it.”
An All-American Final After 56 Years
Pegula’s win sets up a mouth-watering clash with Coco Gauff, who cruised past unseeded Czech player Sara Bejlek 6-4 6-1 earlier on Saturday. Their meeting will mark the first all-American women’s final at the Cincinnati Open in 56 years, a milestone last achieved in 1970 when Rosie Casals defeated Nancy Richey. As Sky Sports reports, the historic nature of the final has added extra buzz to what is already shaping up to be a blockbuster showdown between two of America’s finest.
Pegula, who already boasts four WTA 1000 singles titles, will be looking to add another significant trophy to her collection, but she will face a stern test in the in-form Gauff, who dropped just five games in her semi-final.
History Beckons in the Men’s Draw Too
On the men’s side, Frances Tiafoe overcame Brandon Nakashima 7-5 6-3 to reach the final, where he will face France’s Arthur Fils. The clash will mark the first time two black players have contested an ATP Masters 1000 final, a fact not lost on Tiafoe, who fell to Jannik Sinner in last year’s Cincinnati final.
“It’s awesome for a bunch of kids looking up to us and [who] want to be in our position. That’s what it’s about,” Tiafoe said. “It’s always nice to be a part of history. Hopefully we can have more big finals like this having people of colour, and I’m super pumped about it.” Notably, only two black men have ever won Masters 1000 titles — American Ben Shelton and Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga — underlining just how significant Sunday’s final could be.
What the Betting Markets Say
Ahead of the eagerly anticipated women’s final, prediction markets have been weighing in on who holds the edge between Gauff and Pegula. According to an analysis on odds and prediction markets for the clash, there has reportedly been a notable split between platforms like Kalshi and traditional head-to-head betting lines, suggesting the match could be closer than some expect.
With both finals set for Sunday, tennis fans are in for a treat as American players look to make history on both sides of the draw at the Cincinnati Open.