Coco Gauff holds a record over the WTA Tour after latest victory at the Cincinnati Open
Coco Gauff needed three sets to defeat Liudmila Samsonova at the Cincinnati Open to confirm her place in the third round of the Masters tournament.
The American lost the first set 6-2, before coming back to win the match 6-4, 6-1 in the next two sets to continue her good form shown on the North American hardcourt swing so far.
Gauff reached the semi finals of the Canadian Open, before losing to Elena Rybakina in three sets, so she is getting closer to her first WTA title of the year.
The star’s comeback victory against Samsonova should not be a surprise either, as she has made that her calling card across the WTA Tour season this year.
Gauff’s comeback victory against Samsonova was her 11th in 2026, which is more than any other WTA Tour star.
Comeback victories on the WTA Tour in 2026
- Coco Gauff – 11
- Jessica Pegula – 10
- Anastasia Potapova – 9
- Mirra Andreeva – 8
- Elena Rybakina – 8
The American sits comfortably above the likes of Jessica Pegula, Anastastia Potapova, Mirra Andreeva, and Elena Rybakina for comebacks this season, according to OptaAce.
While it could be argued that Gauff should not be putting herself in that situation anyway, it does show her mental fortitude when she steps on a tennis court.
Gauff never knows when she’s beaten and that is simply something you can’t teach a tennis player.
The star’s serve is improving with every tournament too, so it surely won’t be long until the American is challenging at the very top of the WTA Tour once again.
Gauff currently sits at world No 4 in the WTA Tour live rankings and she has to be considered one of the favourites for the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.
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She has claimed both tournaments in her glittering career, with the American lifting both the Cincinnati Open and the US Open titles during the 2023 season.
Gauff will have her work cut out to achieve the same feat again in 2026, although you can never rule it out when it comes to the two-time Grand Slam champion.
She will next play Ann Li in the third round of the Cincinnati Open and she should be confident of the victory as she is yet to lose to her on the WTA Tour.
Gauff has claimed victories against Li at an ITF event in Arizona in 2019, as well as at the Berlin Open in 2022 and the Madrid Open in 2025.
She will head into the match against her compatriot as the heavy favourite to win, which would set up a clash with either Marie Bouzkova or Iva Jovic in the fourth round.
