Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion, was on the verge of victory in his Cincinnati Open match against Gael Monfils when rain forced a halt to play. Alcaraz, who lost to Novak Djokovic in last year’s Cincinnati final, had taken a 6-4, 6-6 (1/3) lead. This tournament is a major tune-up for the US Open, which begins on August 26th.
Meanwhile, defending women’s champion Coco Gauff suffered a surprising upset in her opening match. Kazakh Yulia Putintseva, ranked 34th in the world, defeated Gauff 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Putintseva, known for her upset victories, recently defeated top-ranked Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon. Gauff, who became Cincinnati’s youngest champion last year at age 19, acknowledged her need to work on consistency and admitted to making too many unforced errors.
Other notable results from the tournament include:
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Aryna Sabalenka
, the third seed, defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-4. Sabalenka, who missed Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics due to a right shoulder injury, is happy with her current form.*
Alexander Zverev
, the 2021 champion and third seed, won his ATP-leading 50th match of the season. He defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2, a rematch of their Tokyo Olympic final. Zverev expressed satisfaction with his current form after struggling in Montreal last week.*
Hubert Hurkacz
, the fifth seed, made a successful comeback from knee surgery in July, defeating Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.*
Elena Rybakina
, the fourth seed, suffered an upset loss to Canadian Leylah Fernandez, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4. Rybakina, who missed the Paris Olympics with acute bronchitis, struggled with double faults and could not capitalize on her 20 aces.*
Elina Svitolina
, a semi-finalist in Cincinnati nine years ago, defeated Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-1. She will face Aryna Sabalenka in the next round.*
Elina Avanesyan
caused a major upset by defeating eighth seed Jelena Ostapenko 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.The Cincinnati Open continues as players battle for the final chance to tune up before the US Open. The tournament will be closely watched as players strive for momentum and confidence heading into the season’s final Grand Slam.
