Cincinnati Open 2026 Preview: Draw, Contenders and Key Dates

The Cincinnati Open runs from 11 to 23 August 2026 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, and it has the field the Canadian Open did not. Novak Djokovic skipped Montreal and entered here, but lost his opening match. Carlos Alcaraz skipped it too and withdrew from Cincinnati on 4 August with a wrist injury; Jannik Sinner, who also missed Montreal, withdrew on 9 August with a knee injury.

That stripped the strongest hard-court field of the summer of its three biggest names, and made the fortnight a very different form guide for the US Open, which begins in New York on 30 August. Qualifying is on 11 and 12 August, the main draws start on 13 August and the singles finals are on Sunday 23 August.

How the Draws Broke

Both singles draws hold 96 players with the top 32 seeds byed into the second round, so the seeds do not appear until day three. On the women’s side the awkward section is the fourth quarter: defending champion Iga Świątek is seeded seventh and lands in second seed Elena Rybakina‘s quarter, the two drawn to meet in the last eight, which is what happened. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka heads a first quarter containing Elina Svitolina and Ekaterina Alexandrova, 11th seed Naomi Osaka having withdrawn citing fatigue; Coco Gauff leads the second with Mirra Andreeva and Marta Kostyuk; Jessica Pegula the third with Linda Nosková and Amanda Anisimova. Belinda Bencic is seeded twelfth but withdrew from her Toronto quarter-final with a hip injury.

Key Facts

The Men: A Field Canada Did Not Get

Alcaraz defends the title he won in 2025, and this is the tournament he has targeted for his return from the wrist injury that cost him Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. How much match sharpness he has is the open question of the fortnight.

Djokovic played Cincinnati for the first time since winning it in 2023. He has a particular history here: in 2018 he became the first man to complete the Career Golden Masters by winning all nine Masters 1000 events, and he did it in Cincinnati at the sixth attempt, having lost five previous finals at the venue.

Sinner was entered as world No. 1 and the defending Wimbledon champion before the knee injury ruled him out. Behind the absent trio, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev all have hard-court pedigree, and Learner Tien continues a season that has already produced wins over Medvedev and Ben Shelton.

The Women: Świątek Defends, Sabalenka Leads

Świątek returns as defending champion, with Aryna Sabalenka the world No. 1 and Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva and Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova all in the field.

The notable absentees are the two players who contested the Canadian Open final: Victoria Mboko and Naomi Osaka have both withdrawn.

A Tournament Older Than Almost Everything

Cincinnati was first played in 1899. Among American tennis tournaments only the US Open is older, and the event predates the Rose Bowl, the Indianapolis 500 and the Masters. It was the Western & Southern Open from 2002 until reverting to its original name in 2024 for its 125th anniversary. Roger Federer holds the men’s record with seven singles titles.

How to Watch in the UK

Sky Sports Tennis and NOW carry the Cincinnati Open in the UK. Bet365 also offers live streaming to eligible account holders. Full details are in our how to watch tennis guide.

More Coverage

• Cincinnati Open hub, with past champions and tournament facts
• Round of 64 results, every seed that went out
• Round of 32 preview, both draws in full
• National Bank Open 2026, the week before in Montreal and Toronto
• ATP rankings and WTA rankings
• 2026 tennis calendar
• Every tournament we cover