Gauff breaks Kostyuk six times, sets up Bejlek semifinal
Coco Gauff broke Marta Kostyuk six times in a 6-2, 6-2 Cincinnati Open quarterfinal win, reaching her second career semifinal at the event. The American now heads into a high-stakes bejlek tennis semifinal against Czech qualifier Sara Bejlek, who stunned the field by beating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Key Takeaways
- Gauff dismantled 10th seed Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2 in under 75 minutes, converting six break points.
- She becomes only the fourth Open Era player to reach multiple Cincinnati semifinals before turning 23.
- Gauff faces Sara Bejlek next after the Czech upset Sabalenka and won four matches to reach the last four.
- Legendary coach Rick Macci says Gauff's serve fixes and net aggression put world No. 1 within reach.
- A Cincinnati title would lift Gauff to 6,704 ranking points as the WTA No. 1 race tightens.
How did Coco Gauff beat Marta Kostyuk so convincingly?
The fourth seed needed less than 75 minutes to dispatch the 2026 Madrid Open champion on Friday. Gauff broke Kostyuk six times across two sets, per WTA Tennis highlights, while dropping just five points behind her first serve.
Gauff's aggressive shift was the story. She moved forward repeatedly, winning points at the net and improving her head-to-head record against Kostyuk to 4-2. The 22-year-old told reporters that Chris Evert has been texting her to attack the net more — advice she finally embraced at Wimbledon and carried into Cincinnati.
Who is Sara Bejlek, Gauff's Cincinnati semifinal opponent?
Bejlek arrives as the tournament's breakout name. The Czech has won four matches in Mason, defeating Karolina Pliskova, Barbora Krejcikova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Madison Keys. Her 2-0 upset of Sabalenka is the result that gives this semifinal genuine upset intrigue.
Gauff and Bejlek have never met on the WTA tour, leaving both players without head-to-head history. Bejlek does hold small edges in return games won and break-point conversion, so Gauff cannot expect free points on every service game. Their semifinal was scheduled for 7:30 PM ET on P&G Stadium Court.
Could Gauff's Cincinnati run push her toward world No. 1?
Gauff entered the week with a slow start, dropping the first set to Liudmila Samsonova before winning every set since. Her semifinal run has already pushed her to 5,919 ranking points, and a title would lift her to 6,704 — putting her firmly in the conversation alongside Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula for the WTA's 30th world No. 1.
Rick Macci, who coached Venus and Serena Williams, declared Gauff's serve problems "in the rear view mirror" and wrote on X that "number one for sure is down the street." Gauff is now just two wins from another Cincinnati title, with the US Open main draw opening August 30.
What do the numbers say about Gauff vs Bejlek?
On paper, Gauff owns the clearer edge. She wins 67.1% of first-serve points and 68.3% of service games, compared with Bejlek's 60.1% and 64.0%. Gauff's Elo rating on hard courts sits 285.9 points above Bejlek's, reflecting a substantial quality gap despite the Czech's impressive Cincinnati run.
Still, Bejlek's return numbers keep the matchup interesting. She leads in second-serve points won, return games won, and break points converted. For more on the wider sports landscape, see our Bizarre World coverage hub.