Coco Gauff knows how to win in the Queen City.
After all, she’s been there, done that.
Gauff has her sights set on her second Cincinnati Open title in three years, after defeating Lucia Bronzetti in the Round of 16 on Thursday afternoon.
Gauff took down Bronzetti in a tight two-set match, 6-2, 6-4.
She is advancing to the quarterfinals in the Queen City tournament for the second time in her young career, awaiting the winner of Jasmine Paolini and Barbora Krejcikova.
Gauff’s first WTA 1000 title came at this tournament back in 2023, when she defeated then world No. 1, Iga Swiatek, in the semifinals and world No. 10, Karolína Muchová, in the final.
She became the youngest champion in the tournament’s history, winning the whole thing at just 19 years old.
It was her coming-out party before officially putting the tennis world on notice, winning the US Open a month later for her first major singles title, taking down rival Aryna Sabalenka.
However, the most notable statistic to come out of today’s match is the history she made by passing the great Serena Williams.
Since the Tier I/WTA-1000 format was introduced back in 1990, Gauff now has the third most quarterfinal appearances in such events with 19, before turning 22.
Williams had 18.
Gauff is only one back behind Maria Sharapova with 20, but won’t catch Martina Hingis who remains at the top with an outstanding 39 quarterfinals before the age of 22.
She turns 22 on March 13 of next year, so she has time to make a move and claim that No.2 spot, which she most definitely will.
Meanwhile, after today’s victory, Gauff was honest and transparent with her play, appreciating her effort while admitting she still could have played better.
“For the most part I played aggressive,” Gauff said.
“Maybe got a bit passive in some of those games. But it’s tough. The balls are super light and they fly. She wasn’t giving me much pace. I was trying to play with control but also aggressive.
“For the most part I think I did well. I had chances in a couple of those games. I missed a couple balls. But I learned from it and was able to close it out.”
Gauff’s quarterfinal match against either Paolini or Krejcikova will take place on Friday.