Coco Gauff wasted little time in booking her place in the Cincinnati Open semi-finals after she beat 10th seed Marta Kostyuk in straight sets. 

Gauff needed just one hour and 10 minutes to confirm her 6-2 6-2 win over Kostyuk, teeing up a clash with surprise package Sara Bejlek in the final four. 

The 22-year-old has not dropped a set since her opening-round win over Liudmila Samsonova, and she looked in complete control from start to finish here. 

Gauff laid the foundations for her win in the first set, registering an early break to surge into a 3-0 lead before Kostyuk was able to get herself on the scoreboard. 

But the damage had already been done by Gauff, who ticked off the first set despite Kostyuk getting the better of her serve, and the American showcased her class from there.

The fourth seed registered back-to-back breaks to put Kostyuk on the brink of defeat, and Gauff confirmed her win at the second time of asking, revealing after the match that a tactical tweak in her approach play has helped take her game to a new level. 

"I didn't realise how good I was at it until Wimbledon," Gauff told reporters. "Everyone has been telling me to come to the net more.

"Actually, Chris Evert has been texting me sometimes to come to the net more. And I tell her yeah, I'm going to, and then I just don't.

"I finally did at Wimbledon and I won so many points that way. And obviously here, there's just a big difference when you're able to finish the point at the net."

PURE DETERMINATION @CocoGauff gets the job done and defeats Kostyuk in straight sets to head to the semifinals.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/rvryn0idwv

— wta (@WTA) August 22, 2026

Gauff out for Cincinnati glory after reaching another semi-final

After winning her first Cincinnati Open title in 2023, Gauff has fallen short of winning the crown again, but with the way she is playing at this year's tournament, she will fancy her chance of holding the trophy aloft once more. 

Gauff is the player with the most outright WTA-1000 semi-finals reached in 2026 (five). She is also the second-youngest player since the format's introduction in 2009 to reach 5+ WTA-1000 semis in a single season, older only than Iga Swiatek three years ago. 

She also equalled Maria Sharapova (17) for the second-most Tier I / WTA-1000 semi-finals reached since the format's introduction in 1990 before turning 23 years old.

And her form in 2026 should certainly give her renewed confidence. Only Elena Rybakina (25) has won more WTA-1000 main draw matches than Gauff (23), as she looks to become the third-youngest player in the Open Era to reach her second final at the Cincinnati Open.