Last month, it became official: the 22-year-old Ben Shelton is bringing the fire back to mixed doubles in New York, teaming up with none other than WTA doubles World No.1 Taylor Townsend. The current Australian Open women’s doubles winner with Katerina Siniakova, Townsend couldn’t hide her thrill, exclaiming, “We did, we did. Oh my god, love it,” while Shelton promised, “I think that’s what you can expect again,” when the official Instagram account of the US Open shared a clip showing their chemistry. Yet, Shelton and Townsend fuel anticipation, another American name, Coco Gauff, will skip the $1 million US Open mixed doubles lure, revealing her reason while locked in battle at the Cincinnati Open.

A week ago in Montreal, Coco Gauff’s campaign collapsed under the weight of 42 double faults in just three matches. So when the Hologic WTA Tour’s doubles leader (293) coughed up three more in a single game Sunday at the Cincinnati Open, tension gripped P&G Center Court. But the No. 2 seed steadied her hand, tamed her nerves, and dispatched Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2 in a crisp 70-minute display.

Yet, the victory’s glow carried more than just a scoreboard triumph. In the aftermath, Gauff peeled back the curtain, revealing exactly why she would not enter the US Open doubles stage this year.

In the glow of her Cincinnati triumph, Coco Gauff sat before the press. When asked why she would skip the event, her answer cut with clarity. “For me, it was just because I know the free week of the US Open’s already packed for me for sponsor things and it was just like a whole another thing, and I’m very so much I’m competitive, like if I were to lose, I would not be happy.” It wasn’t hesitation, it was calculation, a fierce competitor guarding her mental arsenal.

Coco didn’t stop there. “So, I didn’t want to waste mental energy on that, then on top of the sponsor stuff, the pre-week, and then knowing that this finished on Monday and potentially having to play on Tuesday. Well, yeah, you would have to play on a Tuesday,” she added, the reality of the schedule grinding against the romantic lure of the competition. For Gauff, the margins between winning and empty-handed exhaustion were too slim to risk.

And yet, her tone softened with a spark of future possibility. “So I just knew it wasn’t going to work out for me with the scheduling, but you know, I think it’s cool and I think it’s going to be exciting. I think it’s two days, exciting two days. So, yeah, not knocking it off for the future. It’s just by like I plan my sponsor weeks literally like a year out, sometimes a year and a half out. And when this whole thing was coming up, I was already booked and busy,” Coco added.

However, against Xinyu, who defeated her in Berlin less than two months ago, Gauff managed to return to winning ways at the WTA 1000 event. And while she has shared her reasons for not participating in the US Open mixed doubles, Coco also expressed her thoughts on securing her first Cincinnati win in two years.

Coco Gauff opens up about her win at Cincinnati

Coco Gauff arrived in Cincinnati still feeling the sting of a surprising Canadian Open fourth-round defeat to eventual champion Victoria Mboko. The start on Sunday hardly suggested a turnaround, as the 21-year-old racked up eight double faults in her first three service games. But then, something shifted. From that moment on, not a single double fault escaped her racket, a sign that she had found the mental switch to steady herself under pressure.

“I think [I was] just trusting myself and trusting the work we put in in practice,” Gauff explained after the win. “In the second set, I was able to let go, and I think just try not to focus on the past, knowing that I can’t control it, and just trying to do better for the future. I’m happy I was able to change that mindset around.” Her words reflected a player learning to trust her game even when the first few steps are shaky.

With a round-one bye, the Cincinnati opener marked Gauff’s 36th career win in an opening match at a WTA 1000 event, a statistic that underlines her consistency at the sport’s most demanding tournaments. Her record now stands at an imposing 36-8 in such matches, placing her in elite company. Since the WTA 1000/Tier 1 format began in 1990, only former world No. 1 Martina Hingis has managed more opening-round wins before turning 22. Hingis claimed 46 before her September 2002 milestone birthday.

While Gauff cannot surpass that mark before her own 22nd birthday on March 13 next year, she still has five more WTA 1000 tournaments ahead to pad her already impressive tally. Each event will be another opportunity to sharpen her form, build confidence, and cement her place among the most reliable opening-round performers in modern tennis.

But before thinking about records, there’s the immediate challenge of Cincinnati’s third round. Standing in her way is 32nd seed Dayana Yastremska, a player with enough firepower to turn the match into a test of grit. 

Can Gauff ride the momentum of her mental reset, overcome the Ukrainian’s challenge, and march deeper into Ohio’s sweltering battlefield? The answer could set the tone for the rest of her American swing.