Aug. 21 (UPI) — Coco Gauff beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets in the 2023 Western & Southern Open final, claiming her first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati and boosting herself to No. 6 in the WTA rankings ahead of the U.S. Open.
She converted 5 of 8 break point opportunities in the 6-3, 6-4 win over her 10th-ranked Czech foe Sunday at the Linder Family Tennis Center. Gauff, 19, became the youngest women’s player in history to win the tournament.
“I’m just happy to be here in this moment,” Gauff said on the Tennis Channel broadcast.
Gauff beat No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, No. 35 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, No. 42 Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic and No. 33 Mayar Sherif of Egypt en route to her first major singles title.
Gauff’s win in Cincinnati came just weeks after she claimed the first WTA 500 title of her career. She edged No. 8 Maria Sakkari of Greece for that triumph in the DC Open final Aug. 6 in Washington, D.C.
The string of success came after disappointment in Grand Slam play earlier this season. Gauff lost in the first round of Wimbledon last month in London. She lost to Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the French Open. Gauff lost in the fourth round of the 2023 Australia Open.
Next, she will head to Flushing, N.Y., to compete in the 2023 U.S. Open. Gauff advanced to the quarterfinals in 2022, her best finish at the Grand Slam.
The main draw for the men’s and women’s singles circuits will be held Thursday in Flushing. Main draw play will start Aug. 28.
Swiatek remains No. 1 in the WTA singles rankings, followed by No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States, No. 4 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, No. 5 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia and Gauff. No. 7 Caroline Garcia of France, Sakkari, No. 9 Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic and Muchova round out the Top 10.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who beat No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the men’s final Sunday in Cincinnati, remains the No. 2 player in the ATP singles standings.
No. 3 Daniil Medvedev of Russia, No. 4 Holger Rune of Denmark, No. 5 Casper Ruud of Norway, No. 6 Jannik Sinner of Italy, No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, No. 8 Andrey Rublev of Russia and Americans Taylor Fritz (No. 9) and Frances Tiafoe (No. 10) are the other Top 10 players in the men’s singles rankings.
