When ATP Masters 1000 action picks up in Cincinnati ahead of the US Open, Jannik Sinner will be looking to defend his 2024 title, while on the flip side, Carlos Alcaraz will be looking to win his first title in Cincy.
Following the release of the ATP side of the draw on Wednesday, we can start to see the road to a potential final for both Sinner and Alcaraz.
Sinner’s quarter of the draw notably features the following players:
- Lorenzo Musetti (No. 8 seed)
- Casper Ruud (No. 11 seed)
- Tommy Paul (No. 13 seed)
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (2x semifinalist, 2022 finalist)
Following a first-round bye, Sinner will meet either Vit Kopriva, or a yet-to-be-determined qualifier in the Round of 64. From there, the world No. 1 will collide with the winner of a Round of 64 match between Gabriel Diallo, who has a first-round bye, and either David Goffin or Sebastian Baez.
With a win, Sinner will land himself in the Round of 16, where we could see him collide with either Paul or No. 19-seeded Tomas Machac.
From there, things get interesting, with potential quarterfinal matches against players mentioned previously like Musetti, Ruud, and Tsitsipas.
Should Sinner emerge from his quarter of the draw, he could potentially be in for a semifinal matchup against players like No. 4-seeded Taylor Fritz, No. 7-seeded Holger Rune, or No. 10-seeded Frances Tiafoe, all of whom are competing in the same half of the draw.
You can see Sinner’s half of the draw below, courtesy of ATPTour.com.
ATPTour.comJannik Sinner’s half of the ATP Cincinnati Open draw.
Looking at Carlos Alcaraz’s Potential Path to a Title in Cincinnati
Much like Jannik Sinner in the top half of the draw, Carlos Alcaraz will face some stiff competition in the bottom half of the draw.
Alcaraz’s quarter of the draw notably has the following players:
- Alex de Minaur (No. 6 seed)
- Andrey Rublev (No. 9 seed)
- Jakub Mensik (N0. 16 seed)
- Alexei Popyrin (No. 21 seed)
Following a first-round bye, Alcaraz will collide with the winner of Mattia Bellucci vs. Damir Dzumhur in the Round of 64, before then meeting the winner of Tallon Griekspoor vs. either Hamad Medjedvoci or Aleksander Kovacevic in the Round of 32.
From there, Alcaraz could notably face off with either 2025 Miami Open winner Jakub Mensik in the Round of 16, or Dennis Shapovalov, who enters the tournament as the No. 24 seed after working his way back into the top 50 this season.
From there, things get interesting for the five-time Grand Slam champ, as he could wind up facing off with either Citi DC Open winner Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, or an in-form Alexei Popyrin in the quarterfinals.
Should he emerge from his quarter of the draw victorious, the world No. 2 could notably meet Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, or Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals.
You can see Alcaraz’s half of the draw below, courtesy of ATPTour.com.
ATPTour.comCarlos Alcaraz’s half of the ATP Cincinnati Open draw.
Looking at When Jannik Sinner & Carlos Alcaraz Will Play Their Opening Matches at the Cincinnati Open
Currently, per the Cincinnati Open’s website, first-round action will begin on Aug. 7 and continue on Aug. 8.
Second-round play will then begin on Saturday, Aug. 9, with Sinner and Alcaraz both expected to play sometime during the day. So far, however, there’s been no word on whether the two will play during the Day Session, or the Night Session.
Of course, as always when it comes to outdoor tennis, dates and times are subject to change.
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