Because the quarterfinals and semifinals are happening in Toronto and Montreal right this moment, the draw on the Cincinnati Open was held. The ultimate Masters 1000 occasion previous to the US Open options 96 gamers, 32 first-round byes and loads of tantalizing matchups. What it doesn’t characteristic is Carlos Alcaraz, final yr’s champion, or Jannik Sinner, final yr’s runner up.
Alternative shall be knocking within the Queen Metropolis, simply as it’s in Montreal, the place all eight males’s singles quarterfinalists have been born in or after 2000 for the primary time in historical past.
Listed here are just a few notes about Tuesday’s males’s singles draw:
Zverev on the High
A superb probability for Sascha Zverev to re-establish himself on the high of the boys’s pecking order after an early loss in Montreal. 2026 Roland Garros champion and Wimbledon runner-up Zverev, who fell to Tallon Griekspoor in his first match in Montreal, want to head into the US Open with momentum. With Alcaraz and Sinner out of Cincinnati, and unsure for the Open, he’ll be the favourite to win each occasions. Will he ship?
Zverev faces both Cameron Norrie or Dino Prizmic within the second spherical after a bye. He may face Tomas Martin Etcheverry within the third spherical, and both Tommy Paul or Valentin Vacherot within the spherical of 16. Zverev is slated to face both No.7 seed Flavio Cobolli or No.12 seed Rafael Jodar within the quarterfinals, and Novak Djokovic, seeded third, may very well be lurking within the semifinals.
Must be a great take a look at for the German, who gained the title in Cincinnati in 2021 and misplaced to Alcaraz within the semifinals final yr.
Felix on the Backside
Seeded second, Felix Auger-Aliassime will hope to make a fast restoration from the again damage that pressured him to drag out of Montreal. It should have been critical, given that there’s nowhere FAA want to play greater than his hometown of Montreal. Hopefully he’s made a full restoration and may hit the court docket operating in Cincinnati.
Like all the high males, he’ll wish to get into high type to see if he can make the most of a discipline that doesn’t embody Sincaraz. The Canadian will face both Stefanos Tsitsipas or Valentin Royer within the second spherical.
Frances Tiafoe, badly in want of a great match after a tough trip in DC and Montreal, and Learner Tien are in his nook of the draw, whereas No.8 seed Ben Shelton lurks as the following highest seed in his quarter.
Within the high quarter of the decrease half, No.6-seeded Taylor Fritz and fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev (additionally badly in want of type) anchor a piece that additionally contains Casper Ruud, Joao Fonseca and immediately surging Brandon Nakashima.
First And Second Spherical Popcorn
Wild card Gael Monfils faces Australia’s Rinky Hijikata in what may very well be his final match on the occasion. Winner will get Luciano Darderi. Wild card Grigor Dimitrov faces Sebastian Baez in his first spherical match, with the winner getting Learner Tien subsequent.
One other wild card, Jack Draper, faces Martin Landaluce. Landaluce carries a six-match dropping streak in the intervening time, whereas Draper is locked in a Sisyphean battle along with his physique.
Novak Djokovic will face both Thiago Augustin Tirante or Jan Choinski in his first match after a bye.
Alex Michelsen faces Jesper De Jong within the first spherical, and if he can get previous the Dutchman he’ll have earned a second-round tilt with Taylor Fritz. Michelsen leads the pair’s face to face 2-1.
Wimbledon WhitesOn-court apparel, shipped fast
Shop apparel →
Chris Oddo. Chris Oddo is a contract sportswriter, podcaster, blogger and social media marker who’s a lead contributor to Tennisnow.com. He additionally writes for USOpen.org, Rolandgarros.com, BNPParibasOpen.com, TennisTV.com, WTAtennis.com and the official US Open program.
Trending Merchandise
