"Girl is on fire" - Jessica Pegula, Victoria Azarenka & others react to Coco Gauff winning her first WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati

Coco Gauff beat Karolina Muchova in convincing fashion to bag her maiden WTA 1000 title at the 2023 Cincinnati Open. Gauff is the youngest champion in Cincinnati history.

Having triumphed at the Washington Open two weeks ago, the World No. 7 fell to fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open. However, Gauff was unstoppable in Cincinnati, winning the 1000-level title for the loss of just one set.

The American's breakthrough victory earned widespread praise on social media, including from her peers. Jessica Pegula expressed admiration for her frequent doubles partner's form by saying she was "on fire."

"Girl on [fire emoji]," Pegula wrote.

Jessica Pegula congratulated her frequent doubles partner Coco Gauff on her maiden WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati

2023 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Chris Eubanks, meanwhile, said that the 19-year-old was "special."

"You are something special kid, Coco. I’m so happy for you," the 27-year-old wrote.

Two-time Cincinnati champion Victoria Azarenka was also full of praise for Coco Gauff's campaign at the WTA 1000 event.

"Too good Coco, congratulations," Azarenka wrote, followed by a trophy emoji.

Brad Gilbert, Darren Cahill, Patrick McEnroe, Alycia Parks and Taylor Townsend also sent in their congratulations. Here is a look at the reactions from the prominent figures:

Taylor Townsend's Instagram story

Alycia Parks' Instagram story

Coco Gauff would now have her eyes set on the 2023 US Open

Coco Gauff wags her finger at the 2022 US Open

Coco Gauff has had a good season in 2023, accumulating a healthy 38-12 win-loss record. The highlights of her season are winning the 2023 Cincinnati Open, the 2023 Washington Open, and the 2023 ASB Classic.

Interestingly, the 19-year-old has triumphed at all three levels of WTA tournaments this season. She also reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, the BNP Paribas Open, and the Canadian Open, losing to Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Jessica Pegula, respectively.

Gauff will now be eager to do well at the 2023 US Open, which will kick off on August 29. In 2022 the American defeated Madison Keys and Zhang Shuai to make the last eight, where she was defeated in straight sets by Caroline Garcia.

Gauff would be hoping to improve on her performance from last year at Flushing Meadows. That said, she might have to beat one of Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula or Elena Rybakina to reach a maiden career semifinal at the US Open, since she is ranked outside the top four.

While Coco Gauff trails Swiatek and Pegula 1-7 and 1-2 in the head-to-head respectively, she does have a healthy record against Sabalenka (3-2) and Rybakina (1-0). In that context, she will be pretty confident about her chances at the final Major tournament of the year.