Cincinnati Open men’s singles draw: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz return to action
The Cincinnati Open men’s singles draw has been revealed, with leading stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz set to return to action.
Neither world No 1 Sinner nor No 2 Alcaraz have been in action since the former’s four-set win in the Wimbledon final between the two last month, with both men withdrawing from the Canadian Open.
Italian Sinner enters Cincinnati as the reigning champion after beating Frances Tiafoe in the final last summer, and it is the top seed who has arguably been handed the kinder draw out of himself and Alcaraz.
Like all 32 seeds, Sinner receives a bye in round one and will start his campaign in the second round versus a qualifier or Vit Kopriva.
The four-time Grand Slam champion is projected to face 30th seed Gabriel Diallo in round three, before a potential fourth-round tie versus 13th seed Tommy Paul, who has been battling injury concerns since the French Open.
Should Sinner reach the last eight, he is projected to face compatriot and eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti, another player struggling to find form in recent months.
Musetti has won just one match since retiring injured in the last four of Roland Garros in June, and is an intriguing mini-section of the draw.
Before a hypothetical clash with Sinner, he could have to face both 25th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and 11th seed Casper Ruud – two men also facing struggles this summer.
Also landing in the top half of the draw is fourth seed and world No 4 Taylor Fritz, Sinner’s projected opponent in the semi-finals.
Fritz could face 2022 Cincinnati champion Borna Coric in round two, and then the dangerous 31st seed Lorenzo Sonego in the third round.
The American could then face further dangers in round four, with 15th seed Flavio Cobolli, 17th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and João Fonseca all potential opponents.
Should Fritz progress to the quarter-finals, he could then have to face 10th seed Tiafoe or seventh seed Holger Rune.
2024 runner-up Tiafoe and Rune contested a thrilling three-set semi-final twelve months ago, though they could meet as early as the fourth round this fortnight.
The bottom half of the draw will be headlined by second seed Alcaraz, who will be looking for his first Cincinnati Open title.
The Spaniard missed a championship point in an epic 2023 final versus Novak Djokovic, before a stunning loss to Gael Monfils in the second round back in 2024.
Alcaraz’s 2025 campaign will open against one of Mattia Bellucci or Damir Dzumhur, before a potential match versus 26th seed Tallon Griekspoor in round three.
However, the Spaniard could then face a tough fourth-round encounter versus 16th seed and Miami Open winner Jakub Mensik, before a potential quarter-final versus sixth seed Alex de Minaur.
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Australian star de Minaur has returned to form this summer, with a title run in DC followed by a strong Canadian Open campaign, though he does not have the kindest path early on.
The sixth seed could face big-serving Reilly Opelka in his opener, and is projected to take on ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the round of 16.
Assuming Alcaraz makes it as far as the last four, he could then face third seed Alexander Zverev, who prevailed when the two last met at the ATP Finals last November.
World No 3 Zverev was the Cincinnati champion back in 2021 and also reached the last four twelve months ago, narrowly falling to Sinner in a third-set tiebreak.
After a challenging few months, the German has rediscovered some form on his way to the last four in Toronto, and may fancy his chances of facing Alcaraz in the semi-finals in Cincinnati.
Zverev will open against Monfils or wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy, before a potential round of 32 clash versus 27th seed Brandon Nakashima.
The world No 3 could then take on 14th seed Karen Khachanov in the fourth round, a hypothetical rematch of the Canadian Open semi-final that the two will contest on Wednesday.
He is projected to face fifth seed Ben Shelton in the last eight, though the American faces a potentially challenging pathway to the last eight.
Shelton could have to face 32nd seed Cameron Norrie in round three, before a potential round-four contest against 12th seed Daniil Medvedev or 22nd seed Jiri Lehecka.
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