While Carlos Alcaraz was forced to skip his title defense at the Cincinnati Open due to his wrist injury, he still received a special mention at the event, thanks to Coco Gauff. The American brought up Alcaraz while delivering a heartfelt birthday message for her father after winning her opening match at the WTA 1000 event.
Coco Gauff Sends a Birthday Message to Her Father at the Cincinnati Open
Following her loss to Elena Rybakina in the Canadian Open semifinals, Gauff has resumed the hunt for her first title of the season at the Cincinnati Open. Taking on Liudmila Samsonova in her opening match after a first-round bye, the American had to battle back from a slow start.
After losing the first set, Gauff overcame a rain delay to win the second set and dominated the decider to claim a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback victory, improving to a 5-0 record against Samsonova.
During her on-court interview, Gauff revealed that she felt the extra push to win the match because she did not want to spoil her father Corey’s special day, as he celebrated his 55th birthday back home in Florida.
“Happy birthday dad! He’s not here. He’s at home watching in Florida but he’s 55 today. That was another thing, I didn’t want to lose on his birthday,” Gauff said.
In a heartwarming tribute, the 22-year-old credited her father as the reason she started playing tennis. She highlighted the unwavering belief he had in her, eliciting laughter from the crowd by sharing that he would even back her to beat Carlos Alcaraz.
“My dad means a lot to me. He’s the reason why I’m playing this sport and have so much belief. If it was up to my dad, he would say I can beat anyone even if Carlos Alcaraz is on the other side. But that really shows the belief that he has in me and I love him so much,” she continued.
Gauff also delivered a passionate message for the “tennis dads” watching, emphasizing the importance of supporting their daughters without placing too much pressure on them.
“To all the tennis dads out there, be good to your girls and don’t put too much pressure on them because the most important thing my dad instilled in me was to just have fun and the second that [if] I’m not having fun on the court anymore, I’ll stop. Well, I think I’ll always play tennis but maybe not professionally obviously,” she concluded.
Coco Gauff wishes her dad a happy birthday after her win over Samsonova in Cincinnati
“He’s the reason why I’m playing this sport and have so much belief. If it was up to my dad, he would say I can beat anyone even if Carlos Alcaraz is on the other side”
😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/RAJM6dv5Dk
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 17, 2026
No. 4 seed Coco Gauff is set to square off against fellow American and No. 28 seed Ann Li in the third round of the Cincinnati Open. The winner of their match will face either Iva Jovic or Marie Bouzková in the Round of 16, with a place in the quarterfinals at stake.
