Gauff cruises past Li into Cincinnati last 16
Coco Gauff cruised past Ann Li to reach the Cincinnati last 16, extending a season in which only Elena Rybakina has more WTA 1000 wins on tour.
Coco Gauff, Cincinnati 2026 | © Jared Wickerham/Wick Photography for Cincinnati Open
American Coco Gauff, the No 4 seed, beat compatriot Ann Li, the No 28 seed, 6-1, 7-6 (3) to reach the last 16 of the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday evening.
It is Gauff’s sixth WTA 1000 last-16 of the season and her third at Cincinnati specifically, taking her 2026 win total to 36. Only Elena Rybakina, with 24, has claimed more wins at WTA 1000 level this season than Gauff’s 21.
Gauff was in dominant form from the opening set, before needing a tiebreak to see off Li’s resistance in the second. She had needed three sets to get past Russian Liudmila Samsonova, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the previous round, while Li, ranked No 29, arrived off a win over China’s Shuai Zhang, 7-5, 6-3.
Gauff will next face the winner of the match between Czech Marie Bouzkova, the No 22 seed, and American Iva Jovic, the No 13 seed.
Cincinnati WTA 1000, 3rd Round (Round of 32)
- A. Sabalenka (1) vs X. Wang
- S. Bejlek vs E. Alexandrova (16)
- M. Keys (19) d. K. Siniakova (33): 6-1, 6-3
- X. Wang d. E. Svitolina (8): W.O.
- C. Gauff (4) vs A. Li (28); 6-1, 7-6
- M. Bouzkova (22) vs I. Jovic (15)
- M. Kostyuk (10) d. S. Stephens: 7-5, 7-5
- M. Andreeva (5) d. J. Tjen (32): 6-1, 7-6
- L. Noskova (6) d. O. Tauson (27): 7-6, 6-2
- A. Anisimova (9) d. A. Eala (17): 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
- S. Cirstea (16) vs A. Kalinskaya (19), 6-7, 6-1, 5-0, ret.
- J. Pegula (3) d. E. Navarro (25): 7-5, 6-2
- I. Swiatek (7) vs M. Sakkari (29): 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
- D. Perry d. L. Boisson: 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
- D. Shnaider (14) vs M. Chwalinska (19): 6-2, 7-6
- E. Rybakina (2) vs Frech: 6-4, 7-4
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