Week in Review: Gauff's path progresses, Muchova boosts Czech elite

The Insider Wrap is a recap of everything you need to know from the week that was. Last week, Coco Gauff won her first WTA 1000 title as part of a packed field at the Western & Southern Open.

Performance of the Week: Coco Gauff

Two weeks ago, Gauff won her first WTA 500 title in Washington D.C., as her title progression took its next step. It didn't take much longer for the 19-year-old to level up again, as she became a WTA 1000 champion after winning the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Champions Corner: Confident Gauff stays grounded with US Open looming

Not only is her fifth career title her highest-level one yet, but Gauff achieved it by beating World No.1 Iga Swiatek along the way. Gauff had previously been 0-7 against Swiatek (and 0-14 in sets), but the American teen toppled the top seed in the Cincy semifinals on her way to the crown.

Now a Top 10 mainstay for nearly a year, Gauff has learned about, as she says, "embracing [expectations] but also just focusing on your linear path. I think the biggest thing that I've learned is that everybody's path for you is not what's true, it's not what's going to happen. Even the path that you want for yourself may not happen.

"You give it your all. That's all you can do. I'm going to give it my all in the US Open. If things go great, that's exciting. If not, I go back and work hard and get ready for the next one. That's kind of the mentality you have to have."

Breakthrough of the Week: Karolina Muchova

Muchova won four three-setters in Cincinnati before losing to Gauff in the championship match. However, the Czech ends the week as a first-time WTA 1000 finalist and has posted a rankings breakthrough -- she is into the Top 10 for the first time in her career.

The 27-year-old, who also reached her first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros this spring, has overcome an excess of injury struggles, as recently as last year, to rebound up the rankings -- as has her compatriot and friend, reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.

Now, Vondrousova and Muchova have skyrocketed into the Top 10 as the Czech No.1 and No.2 -- the current ranking leaders of one of the top nations on tour. Fellow Czechs Petra Kvitova and Barbora Krejcikova are directly behind them at No.11 and No.12 respectively.

"Me and Marketa were last year outside of [the Top] 200," Muchova said. "Tomorrow, we're both Top 10. I saw that. It was actually, like, touching. It's really nice. I'm really happy for her, for myself. Then there is another bunch of Czechs behind us. It's nice to see that they're doing great."

Honor Roll

Alycia Parks and Taylor Townsend: "I really enjoyed playing with Taylor, she has always been my dream doubles partner -- believe it or not," Parks exclaimed after their late-night doubles final in Cincinnati. After the week the first-time teammates put together, it's quite easy to believe.

Champions Corner: Parks and Townsend's dreams come true in Cincinnati

Parks and Townsend posted a string of upsets during the week, defeating four Top 5-seeded teams in a row to win their first WTA 1000 doubles title. Townsend has reached finals or won titles with five different partners over the last 12 months, supporting her current status as a Top 5 doubles player.

Marketa Vondrousova: The reigning Wimbledon champion continues to back up her first Grand Slam title with solid results, making the Cincinnati quarterfinals before falling to No.1 Iga Swiatek. Vondrousova is up to a new career-high ranking of No.9 as a result.

Jasmine Paolini: The Italian reached a new career-high ranking of No.35 by making her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Cincinnati as a qualifier. Paolini became the first Italian to make the Cincinnati quarterfinals since Roberta Vinci in 2013.

Wang Yafan and Tatjana Maria: Last week's WTA 125 champions were Wang, who extended her rapid resurgence up the rankings with the Stanford title, and Maria, who continued to excel on Colombian soil with the Barranquilla crown.

Notable Numbers

2: Coco Gauff is just the second American player to win five WTA titles as a teenager this century, joining Serena Williams.

4: With her Cincinnati first-round upset of No.16 Veronika Kudermetova, Venus Williams notched her first Top 20 win in exactly four years. Before that, her last Top 20 win was over then-No.5 Kiki Bertens at Cincinnati in 2019.

10: Iga Swiatek is the third-youngest player to reach 10 WTA 1000 semifinals since the WTA 1000 tournament level began in 2009. Only Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka reached 10 WTA 1000 semifinals at younger ages.

68: Karolina Muchova won 68 points at the net this week in Cincinnati, the second-most by any player at a WTA 1000 event this year. Muchova's performance is surpassed only by her own showing at Indian Wells, where she won 85 points at net during the tournament.

Photo of the Week

Capturing the moment right before World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka displays her powerful play.

Next Up

The WTA 250 Tennis in the Land event kicked off in Cleveland on Sunday with Leylah Fernandez among the first-round winners. World No.7 Caroline Garcia and 2021 Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova are the top two seeds.

The upcoming week also features a WTA 125 event in Chicago, as well as the qualifying rounds for the year's final Grand Slam -- the US Open. Main-draw play at the US Open starts on Monday, August 28th.