Coco Gauff Reaches Cincinnati Quarters with Straight-Sets Victory Over Lucia Bronzetti
Coco Gauff advanced to the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open on Thursday, defeating Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 6-4 in a match that showed a hint of rust after her first-round bye.
The second-seeded American had received a walkover into the Round of 16 when her scheduled opponent, Dayana Yastremska, withdrew due to injury.
Gauff, who claimed the Cincinnati title in 2023 and carried that momentum to a US Open victory three weeks later, will now face either seventh seed Jasmine Paolini or former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.
This marks Gauff’s third 1000-level quarter-final of the season, following Madrid and Rome, both of which saw her advance to the finals.
The 21-year-old lost an early break in both sets but secured her place in the last eight with a decisive break on Bronzetti’s serve in the final game, ending the match after 79 minutes.
Reflecting on her performance, Gauff said:
“It’s super special to play on this court. I have so many memories from 2023. I played controlled but aggressive, though sometimes I was a bit passive. The ball really flies here, and she gave me no pace. I had chances when I lost serve, but I missed a couple of balls. Still, I was able to close it out.”
