Gauff Stays Perfect Against Li
Coco Gauff, the fourth seed and defending Cincinnati Open champion, advanced to the fourth round with a convincing 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) victory over fellow American Ann Li on Tuesday. The win extended Gauff's all-time record against Li to a spotless 4-0, and it marked their first career meeting on a hard court, adding some extra significance heading into the US Open stretch of the season.
The opening set lasted just 29 minutes and was about as clean as tennis gets. Gauff held serve in every service game, surviving a tricky moment midway through when Li earned two break points and pushed the game to four deuces. She finished the match converting 68 percent of her first-serve points, a number that reflects how well she controlled play throughout.
Second-Set Drama Before a Comfortable Tiebreak
The second set told a different story early on. Li broke Gauff, then lost her own serve, and the momentum swung back and forth before Li edged ahead 5-3 and appeared to be heading toward a deciding third set. Gauff regrouped, broke back to level the set, and then looked completely at ease in the tiebreak, racing through it 7-3 to close out the match.
This result marks Gauff's sixth WTA 1000 event fourth round of the season, a number that underlines her remarkable consistency on the biggest stages. She will next face the winner between Iva Jovic and Marie Bouzkova for a place in the quarter-finals.
Elsewhere, ninth-ranked Elina Svitolina withdrew from the tournament due to an ankle injury, allowing Wang Xiyu to progress in her place. TennisDraw users had Gauff as one of the most popular Cincinnati quarter-final picks heading into this week.
