The 4 men to successfully defend the Cincinnati Open title: Can Jannik Sinner make it 5?
Jannik Sinner is back in the final of the Cincinnati Open, and is one win away from joining an exclusive club at the tournament.
Only four men in the Open Era have successfully defended the title at the prestigious event, with the world No 1 returning as the reigning champion this summer.
A blockbuster battle versus key rival Carlos Alcaraz stands between Sinner and a place in Cincinnati history; can the 24-year-old triumph?
If he were to win, he would join a group of four fellow Grand Slam winners.
Mats Wilander – 1983-84
A winner of four Cincinnati Open titles, tennis great Wilander was the first man in the Open Era to defend his crown at this event successfully.
The Swede triumphed for the first time in 1983, beating 1981 champion and fellow tennis great John McEnroe in the final, before downing Swedish compatriot Anders Jarryd in 1984.
Wilander was denied a ‘three-peat’ in 1985, falling to Boris Becker in the final, though he would claim further titles in 1986 and 1988.
Michael Chang – 1993-94
Part of an iconic generation of US tennis players, Chang became the second man in the Open Era to successfully defend the title in Cincinnati, exactly a decade on from Wilander.
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Former world No 2 Chang battled past Stefan Edberg in three sets to lift his first title in 1993, and then beat the Swede in straight sets to defend his crown in 1994.
Chang would reach further Cincinnati Open finals in 1995 and 1996, though he would finish as the runner-up on both occasions.
Andre Agassi – 1995-96
The man to beat Chang in both the 1995 and 1996 finals was tennis legend Agassi, who joined this exclusive group thanks to consecutive victories over his compatriot.
Top seed Agassi beat fourth seed Chang to lift his first Cincinnati Open title in 1995 before again triumphing in 1996, with both victories coming in straight sets.
The eight-time Grand Slam champion would win a third Cincinnati title eight years later in 2004, holding a perfect 3-0 record in finals at the Masters 1000 event.
Roger Federer – 2009-10, 2014-15
Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Federer won a record seven men’s singles titles at the tournament and is the only man to successfully defend the title on two separate occasions.
Federer first defended his title across 2009-10, beating Novak Djokovic in the 2009 final before a narrow three-set victory over Mardy Fish twelve months later.
The Swiss then won back-to-back titles once again in 2014 and 2015, beating David Ferrer in three sets in the 2014 final before another victory over Djokovic in 2015.
Federer also triumphed in 2005, 2007, and 2012, and finished as the runner-up in 2018.
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