2026 Cincinnati Open

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Coco Gauff vs Marta Kostyuk WTA Cincinnati Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Gauff's defence to edge Kostyuk's power

Andrew Hendrie

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Last updated: Fri. 21 Aug. 2026 01:37

Andrew Hendrie 21 Aug. 2026

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Coco Gauff vs Marta Kostyuk predictions for Friday's WTA Cincinnati QF
Gauff has won more three-set matches than any other player in 2026
Close contest tipped, with Gauff prevailing in another deciding set
The match is scheduled to start around 11.00am AEST on Saturday August 22

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Coco Gauff vs Marta Kostyuk WTA Cincinnati Tips, Prediction & Live Stream

Coco Gauff has won more three-set matches than any other player on tour this season and is tipped to grind out another marathon win over Marta Kostyuk when the pair do battle for a place in the Cincinnati Open semi-finals on Friday night.

Coco Gauff vs Marta Kostyuk WTA Cincinnati Tips, Prediction & Live Stream
Gauff vs Kostyuk Stats & Trends
Gauff vs Kostyuk Head To Head
Coco Gauff Form Analysis
Marta Kostyuk Form Analysis
Gauff vs Kostyuk Live Stream

More than half of Gauff's 50 matches for the year have gone the distance (26). The American has managed to win 15 of those outings and I think we could be poised for another long and close contest in the Cincinnati quarter-finals.

Kostyuk has been one of the standout players on tour all year and she comes into this encounter with the equal-most top 10 scalps (8).

However, I think this is a more difficult matchup for Kostyuk - this will also be the pair's first meeting in 2026. Gauff's ability to defend, build pressure and gradually grind her opponents into submission should favour her against Kostyuk, who can be prone to folding when it comes to rally tolerance.

I can easily see Kostyuk getting hot and steamrolling Gauff for periods of this match, but that sort of level probably isn't sustainable if the American is operating at anywhere close to her best tennis - which she has been over Toronto and Cincinnati.

So I'm expecting Over 21.5 total games (this has occurred in Gauff's last nine meetings with top 15 players), which could even land in a straight sets win for either player. But I think this match goes three and Gauff has the slight stylistic edge.

Gauff vs Kostyuk Stats & Trends

Gauff has seen Over 21.5 games in 24 of her last 39 matches
Gauff has won 12 of her last 14 matches
Gauff has won five of her last six quarter-finals
Gauff has seen Over 21.5 games in her last four quarter-finals
Gauff's last nine matches vs top 15 players have seen Over 21.5 games
Kostyuk has seen Over 21.5 games in her last four matches
Kostyuk has won 26 of her last 29 matches
Kostyuk is 5-0 in quarter-finals this year
Kostyuk has an 8-5 record vs top 10 players this year
Three of the five previous meetings have gone to a deciding set

Gauff vs Kostyuk Head To Head

Gauff leads 3-2, but this will be their first encounter in 2026.

Year	Winner	Event	Round	Surface	Score
2025	Marta Kostyuk	Doha	Round of 32	Outdoor Hard	6-2, 7-5
2024	Coco Gauff	Wuhan	Round of 16	Outdoor Hard	6-4, 6-1
2024	Marta Kostyuk	Stuttgart	Quarter-final	Indoor Clay	3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6)
2024	Coco Gauff	Australian Open	Quarter-final	Outdoor Hard	7-6(6), 6-7(3), 6-2
2022	Coco Gauff	Adelaide 250	Round of 16	Outdoor Hard	6-3, 5-7, 6-3

Coco Gauff Form Analysis

2026 WTA Record: 37-13
WTA Cincinnati Record: 11-5
Current Ranking: No. 4
Career-High Ranking: No. 2 (2024)

Gauff remains without a title this season, but she's won 37 of her 50 matches and is repeatedly reaching the latter stages of tournaments.

Indeed, the American has only failed to make at least the quarter-finals in four tournaments all year, with her best results including runner-up finishes in Miami and Rome, along with semi-finals at Wimbledon, Toronto and Dubai.

Elena Rybakina got the better of Gauff in last week's Toronto semi-finals in three sets - the ninth straight time she's gone to a deciding set against top 15 players in 2026.

Gauff opened her Cincinnati campaign with another three-set win over Liudmila Samsonova before completing relatively routine straight set victories over Ann Li and Marie Bouzkova to return to the quarter-finals.

The 22-year-old won the Cincinnati title in 2023 but went out in the quarter-finals last year to Jasmine Paolini.

Marta Kostyuk Form Analysis

2026 WTA Record: 33-7
WTA Cincinnati Record: 7-3
Current Ranking: No. 11
Career-High Ranking: No. 11 (July 2026)

Kostyuk has put together the best season of her career and appears destined to break into the world's top 10 in due course.

An ankle injury slowed her progress early in the year, but the Ukrainian has since emerged as one of the WTA Tour's form players. She strung together a 16-match winning streak on clay, winning titles in Rouen and Madrid before continuing her run to the semi-finals of Roland Garros.

The 24-year-old maintained that momentum on grass with another Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon, where her campaign ended against eventual champion Linda Nosková. Back on hard courts in Montreal, Kostyuk reached the fourth round before falling in three sets to eventual champion Iga Świątek.

Kostyuk had a bit of a slow start in Cincinnati and was pushed hard by world No. 115 Sofia Kenin before prevailing 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, and then survived another tight contest against world No. 240 Sloane Stephens, edging through 7-5, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals.

She then produced her best performance of the tournament to defeat French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, dropping just two games in the last two sets, 4-6 6-0 6-2.

Gauff vs Kostyuk Live Stream

Watch and bet on Coco Gauff vs Marta Kostyuk live tennis from Cincinnati.

You can watch and bet on the match live at Unibet > Tennis > WTA Cincinnati with the action available to stream on desktop and mobile.

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Verdict

Coco Gauff v Marta Kostyuk

Should be a close contest, but Gauff's overall athleticism and defence should hold the very slight edge.

Over 21.5

Total Games

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Gauff Win

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Gauff 2-1

Set Betting

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