By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, August 15, 2026
Photograph credit score: Cincinnati Open Fb
A frenetic two-hour, 40-minute hearth struggle left Novak Djokovic battling on licorice legs and defiant spirit.
Deadlocked at 4-all, Djokovic misplaced his contact—and in the end the match.
Netting a pair of drop pictures, Djokovic ceded the essential break.
Thiago Agustin Tirante threw down his fifth love maintain toppling the third-seeded Djokovic, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a steamy Cincinnati Open thriller right this moment.
Taking part in his first match since bowing to No. 1 Jannik Siner, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 within the Wimbledon semifinals final month, Djokovic fought valiantly and confronted a sticky wall of humidity in addition to a laser forehand and rocket serve coming from Tirante, who upset Taylor Fritz in Montreal final week.
“It was not an pleasurable match for me, for positive, the best way I felt,” Djokovic mentioned.
A wild two hour, 44-minute had some severe second shifts—Djokovic received 5 video games in a row at one level and the Argentinean reeled off 24 straight factors on serve in a single stretch—earlier than Tirante cracked a stunning crosscourt working forehand adopted by an ace for triple match level.
Tirante snapped Djokovic’s 10-match Cincinnati profitable streak spoiling the Grand Slam king’s comeback on the day he equaled Feliciano Lopez’s report for many ATP Masters 1000 appearances (139).
The match noticed the 39-year-old Serbian celebrity save 13 of 15 break factors, take a medical timeout within the second set, take in a passing shot physique blow that glanced his rib cage and drop to his palms in knees in obvious exhaustion at one level.
“No, it’s simply the situation that I’ve health-wise,” Djokovic mentioned. “It’s been bothering me for the final couple of years. Loads of points, particularly when it’s humid and scorching.
“All these items, nerves and every part concerned makes it worse, in order that’s what occurred.”
Throughout the online, the 25-year-old Tirante stored calm scoring his greatest win to enhance to 4-1 lifetime vs. Prime 10 opponents.
World No. 50 Tirante will face Martin Landaluce within the third spherical of a Cincinnati draw that’s now a area of open alternative. The final three Cincinnati Open males’s champions—2025 champion Carlos Alcaraz, 2024 champion Jannik Sinner and 2023 champion Djokovic—are out.
In the meantime, Djokovic’s quest for a record-extending twenty fifth Grand Slam crown hit one other bump within the street. Until Djokovic enters Winston-Salem, he’ll arrive on the US Open with only one tune-up match on North American onerous courts with questions on his stamina rising as he gasped for air at occasions on a steamy day right this moment. Can Djokovic, who received his final main on the 2023 US Open, overcome his lack of match play and probably exploit a Flushing Meadows main area that could possibly be lacking Sinner and/or Alcaraz?
A deep leg drive and elastic arm empower Tirante to torch first serves within the 140 mile-an-hour vary.
Within the sixth sport, Tirante served up a horrid 5 straight faults to face double break level. The Argentinean compounded that unpleasant stretch pushing a drop shot into web to gift-wrap the break and a 4-2 result in Djokovic.
Three-time champion Djokovic was down double break level within the subsequent sport, however locked it down from the baseline. Unleashing a collection of heavy forehands, Djokovic denied the primary break level then hit a barrage of diagonal forehands to erase the second.
Although Tirante was bringing warmth on serve and forehand—he was credited with a 119 forehand rocket to avoid wasting a set level—the depth of Djokovic’s drives had been unsettling.
Hitting off his again foot, the Argentinean shoveled a shot deep to face a 3rd set level. Djokovic blocked a backhand return deep and Tirante launched a forehand lengthy.
The Olympic gold-medal champion seized his fourth sport in a row for a one-set lead after 44 minutes of play. Djokovic received 14 of 19 factors performed on Tirante’s second serve within the first set.
Rust was evident as Djokovic dumped a few double faults to begin the second set.
In a punishing 18-minute, 40-second maintain, Djokovic was hunched over a number of occasions gulping air and looking out spent. The longest sport of the event spanned 24 factors and featured 9 deuce factors earlier than Djokovic lastly got here by means of a tortuous maintain for 2-1.
Afterward, Djokovic, who appeared like he was about to be in poor health in his towel, took a three-minute medical timeout for obvious heat-related sickness. Ice towels had been on the Serbian’s legs as he sat again in his court-side seat like a boxer on his stool earlier than rising to renew the match.
Taking part in simply his twentieth match of the season, Djokovic was pacing slowly behind the baseline, dropping to a crouch after some factors and even fall to his palms and knees at one level.
A reeling Djokovic dumped two double faults in a row and later hit his third double fault of the sport. Nonetheless, Djokovic, who had denied all 10 break factors by then, laced an ace holding for 3-2.
An unrelenting Tirante was discovering his forehand with extra frequency making his 39-year-old opponent work in gaining his eleventh break level of the match. Djokovic double faulted into the tape to cede the break and a 4-3 result in Tirante.
Regardless of the medical timeout, his struggles to interrupt, Djokovic’s depleted standing and the sweltering humidity, Tirante remained locked in on the mission.
How targeted was Tirante?
Tirante tore by means of 20 factors in a row on serve stamping 4 straight love holds. Tirante torched his third game-ending ace to take the second set and drive a decider after one hour, 51 minutes.
Each males left the courtroom for clothes modifications.
Stress escalated because the pair traded convincing holds within the seventh and eighth video games.
Serving at 4-all, Djovic snapped a smash to avoid wasting a second break level.
Credit score Tirante for holding his floor in a rapid-fire toe-to-toe alternate that spanned 17 pictures earlier than Djokovic netted forehand to face a 3rd break level. Hammering an enormous inside-out forehand, Djokovic saved break level.
Defective really feel value the previous No. 1 the break. Djokovic netted successive drop pictures wrapping the break and a 5-4 result in his opponent.
A streaking Tirante lasered that working forehand adopted by his thirteenth ace for triple match level. When Djokovic’s return sailed, Tirante had his greatest win.
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