Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff will contest the Cincinnati Open final Monday afternoon, the first all-American women's singles final at the event since Rosie Casals defeated Goolagong in 1970. The winner collects $523,485 and 900 ranking points; the runner-up takes $340,860 and 585 points.
Pegula reached the final by defeating Paula Badosa 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in Saturday's semifinal. Gauff advanced past Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-2 on the same day. Both players are guaranteed new career-high prize money from the tournament, which carries a total purse of $3.2 million for the women's draw. Pegula, 30, owns the Buffalo Bills with her family and has reached three Grand Slam semifinals without converting to a final. Gauff, 20, won the U.S. Open last September and holds endorsement deals with New Balance, Rolex, and Baker Tilly valued north of $10 million annually.
The match arrives as American women occupy four of the top ten WTA rankings for the first time since 2017. Emma Navarro sits at No. 8, Danielle Collins at No. 9. The clustering matters to brands sizing women's tennis against other North American properties. Viewership for U.S. Open women's finals featuring American finalists averages 3.4 million domestic viewers over the past decade, compared to 1.9 million for finals without U.S. representation, according to Nielsen data. Gauff's 2023 final against Aryna Sabalenka drew 3.42 million viewers, the tournament's highest women's final audience since Serena Williams in 2019.
Sponsor conversations reflect the shift. New Balance extended Gauff's footwear contract through 2028 in March, adding a signature shoe line that launched in June with three colorways retailing at $160. The first drop sold out in 72 hours across U.S. markets, per company filings. Rolex, which added Gauff in 2022, now features her in airport terminal advertising alongside Roger Federer and Iga Świątek. Baker Tilly, the accounting firm that signed Gauff in December, structured the deal to include equity participation in future business ventures, a term typically reserved for athletes with ownership track records.
Pegula's positioning differs. Her family's Pegula Sports & Entertainment operates the Bills, Buffalo Sabres, and a portfolio of hospitality assets worth an estimated $2.1 billion. She has deferred most endorsement opportunities to avoid conflicts with team sponsors, though she signed with Pure Strike racquets in 2021 and joined Lululemon's tennis ambassador program last fall. The Cincinnati final represents her 23rd career WTA final, tied with Elena Rybakina for most among active players without a Grand Slam title. Her semifinal record at majors—0-3—has become a talking point among agents evaluating her marketability ceiling.
The WTA's American resurgence complicates tour economics elsewhere. European broadcasters pay rights fees calibrated to viewing windows that assume geographic diversity among finalists. When U.S. players dominate late rounds, matches shift to primetime slots in North America and graveyard hours in Madrid and Paris. The WTA's current media cycle runs through 2025, with renewal negotiations beginning in Q1 2024. League executives have privately acknowledged that American over-indexing could pressure international rights values by 12-18% if the trend holds through the next Australian Open.
Meanwhile, the USTA is accelerating infrastructure spend around Gauff specifically. The organization added a second show court at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center last year, expanding night session inventory to accommodate demand scenarios where Gauff plays deep into the tournament. Ticket revenue for the 2023 U.S. Open exceeded $90 million, a tournament record, with Gauff's quarterfinal and semifinal sessions accounting for $11.2 million of that total.
Monday's final starts at 1:00 PM ET. Both players have entered next week's Canadian Open, though Pegula withdrew Sunday citing a rib injury sustained during the Badosa match. Her team has not clarified whether the withdrawal stands or if she will reassess after Cincinnati. Gauff is confirmed for Toronto and is the +185 favorite to win the event, per DraftKings lines posted Sunday evening. The U.S. Open begins August 26. Both players are seeded in the top four, which would prevent a meeting before the semifinals.
The takeaway
Four Americans in the WTA top ten shifts sponsor math and media renewal leverage heading into 2025 rights cycle.
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