MusaCoco Gauff is making waves again at the Cincinnati Open—but this time, it’s not just her silky backhands or powerful serves turning heads. With her latest opening-match victory, the 21-year-old American has crept up behind a legendary name in WTA history: Martina Hingis.
Let’s set the scene: Gauff breezed past China’s Wang Xinyu in impressive fashion, securing a swift 6-3, 6-2 win to reach the third round. Not only was it a welcome bounce-back from her hiccup at the Canadian Open (where she struggled mightily with her serve), but this win has put her in elite company—making waves in a special WTA 1000 stat. Now she has notched opening-match victories in 36 of her 44 appearances at WTA 1000 tournaments.
Why is that a big deal? Well, only one player in history has more such early wins before turning 22: Martina Hingis, who recorded 46 opening-match wins in Tier I/WTA 1000 events before her 22nd birthday. Gauff is definitely closing the gap—but as of today, Hingis still holds the edge.
What’s cool here is how this stat captures Gauff’s consistency and mental strength at a young age. Winning an opening match at a WTA 1000 event isn’t just about powerful strokes—it’s about composure, focus, and rising above pressure. Gauff’s performance in Cincinnati, especially after earlier serving woes, shows she’s got all of that in spades.
Oh—and her next challenge? A rematch with Dayana Yastremska. If the name rings a bell, it’s because Gauff was recently upset by Yastremska at Wimbledon. But Gauff insists she doesn’t play for “revenge”—instead, she sees their match as a gauge of her game and improvements. We can’t wait to see how that showdown plays out!
All in all, Gauff is quietly building a case for herself as one of the most consistently strong young players on tour. With Hingis’s benchmark in her sights, every match—even in early rounds—adds to the excitement around her career trajectory. At just 21, she’s already rewriting chapters in the WTA record book—and we’re all here for it.
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