Updated

Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 24

Gauff, Fils Capture Cincinnati Titles as 6-0 Decider Delivers Frenchman's First Masters 1000

Updated

Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 24

Gauff, Fils Capture Cincinnati Titles as 6-0 Decider Delivers Frenchman's First Masters 1000

Q: How did a simple FaceTime call reveal the secret family dynamic fueling Coco Gauff's historic all-American finals victory?

The FaceTime call showed that Gauff’s family support is intimate, disciplined and deeply rooted, not flashy. She said her relatives usually send only a simple “good job” text, so seeing her parents, brothers and grandparents gathered together and smiling on the call revealed a family dynamic built on steady presence rather than public display. That matters because Gauff’s run in Cincinnati was as much emotional recovery as tennis success. She said that a year earlier she had been “in tears” in the parking lot at the same event, and after beating Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 she openly connected this title to the people who helped carry her through those hard periods. The call turned a major WTA 1000 victory into proof that her resilience is reinforced at home. The wider family story helps explain it. Her father Corey was her first coach, and both Corey and mother Candi, former college athletes, reshaped their lives to support her career. Her brothers are also serious athletes, and by their own accounts the family culture is highly competitive but strongly supportive, with siblings taught to be one another’s “biggest supporter.” So the call revealed the secret plainly: Gauff’s success is fueled by a family that mixes high standards, sporting knowledge and emotional constancy. In a historic first all-American Cincinnati women’s final since 1970, that unseen structure was there in the simplest moment — one bench-side video call after the trophy was won.

3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 24

Coco Gauff beat Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 for her second Cincinnati crown, racing to a 5-0 first-set lead and converting five of six break points.
Arthur Fils then defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 to win his first Masters 1000 title, firing 11 aces and improving to 10-0 in deciding sets this year.
Sunday's finals carried extra weight before the US Open: Gauff arrives in New York after five straight-set wins, while Fils said the title capped a comeback from a hip-hit season.
The event also marked notable milestones — the first all-American women's Cincinnati final since 1970 and the first ATP Masters 1000 final between two Black players.