Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open runs from 11 to 23 August, main draw from Thursday 13 August, and is the last significant hard-court test before the US Open. Both singles draws hold 96 players with the top 32 seeds byed into the second round. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner both withdrew injured before a ball was struck, and the early rounds took two more of the biggest names: third seed Novak Djokovic lost to Thiago Agustín Tirante and eighth seed Ben Shelton was beaten by qualifier Jaime Faria. Here are our outright angles for both draws now the field has thinned.
Men: No Alcaraz, No Sinner, No Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz is the defending champion but will not defend the title. He withdrew on 4 August with the wrist injury that has kept him out since April’s Barcelona Open and cost him Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, with his team prioritising fitness for the US Open — where he is also defending — over a return here. His status for New York remains uncertain. With both of the game’s top two absent, the market has lost its two shortest prices and the most interesting pricing question of the summer with them.
Sinner is not here either. He withdrew on 9 August with a knee injury, so the world No. 1 misses a second straight Masters 1000. That left Alexander Zverev as top seed and Félix Auger-Aliassime seeded second on the back of a strong season. The round of 64 then removed third seed Novak Djokovic and eighth seed Ben Shelton along with ten other seeds, making this the most open men’s Masters field of the summer for the second event running.
Men: Where the Value Sits
The each-way market is the sensible way into a draw this deep. Taylor Fritz has the serve to shorten matches on a quick court and is playing at home in the middle of the American swing. That angle is settled: Fritz reached the quarter-finals and lost there to Brandon Nakashima 7-6(9), 4-6, 6-3. We liked Ben Shelton on the same reasoning and that one is settled: he lost his opening match to qualifier Jaime Faria. Alexander Zverev won a maiden Grand Slam this year, but he is out of this one, beaten by Tommy Paul in the round of 16.
The interesting outsider is Learner Tien, seeded 16 here and arriving with live evidence: he reached the Montreal semi-finals before losing to Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-3. That angle is settled: Tien went out in the Cincinnati round of 32, beaten 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 by Frances Tiafoe. His retrieval game drags bigger hitters into exactly the long matches they do not want in August humidity. He is short of a big serve, so treat him as an each-way play rather than an outright one — and note he arrives with a deep run in his legs and very little rest.
Women: Świątek Defends a Title on Her Terms
Iga Świątek returns as defending champion and headed the market alongside world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka — who is now out, beaten 7-6, 6-4 by Sara Bejlek in the last 16. Elena Rybakina is the each-way pick: her serve is the single most valuable shot in the women’s draw on a fast hard court, and she has the power to beat anyone over three sets without needing a run of form to do it. That pick is now void rather than beaten: Rybakina retired from her quarter-final against Świątek at 1-4 down, unable to bear weight on her left heel.
The draw itself is the story. Sabalenka leads a first quarter holding Elina Svitolina and Ekaterina Alexandrova, 11th seed Naomi Osaka having withdrawn citing fatigue; Coco Gauff heads the second with Mirra Andreeva and Marta Kostyuk; Jessica Pegula the third alongside Linda Nosková and Amanda Anisimova. The awkward one was the fourth: Rybakina and defending champion Świątek shared a quarter and were projected to meet in the last eight. That is exactly what happened. They met in the last eight, and the tie ended with Rybakina retiring hurt. Svitolina has since withdrawn with an ankle injury.
How We Would Play It
The men’s picks are settled and they lost. Zverev was a fair favourite on seeding and a shaky one on form, and Tommy Paul beat him from match point down in the last 16; Félix Auger-Aliassime went out to Frances Tiafoe the same day. Of the American servers we liked, none went the distance: Fritz was the last one standing and lost his quarter-final to Brandon Nakashima. In the women’s draw the Rybakina–Świątek quarter did land, which is why we made both worse outright propositions than their prices suggested; with Sabalenka gone the each-way case had improved, until Rybakina’s heel ended her tournament in the quarter-finals. The tournament is now complete: Arthur Fils beat Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 for the men’s title and Coco Gauff beat Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 for the women’s, so every outright position here is settled. Full detail is in our Cincinnati Open winners report. Compare prices across our best tennis betting sites and check the current tennis betting offers before placing anything.
Follow our tennis betting tips for more Cincinnati Open predictions, and see the Cincinnati Open hub for past champions and tournament facts.
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FAQ
Cincinnati Open 2026 Betting FAQs
Who is the favourite for the Cincinnati Open 2026?
Not any more. Top seed Alexander Zverev and second seed Félix Auger-Aliassime were both beaten in the round of 16, third seed Novak Djokovic and eighth seed Ben Shelton went out in the round of 64, and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka lost in the women’s last 16. Seventh seed Flavio Cobolli is the highest man left. Both of the world’s top two are absent: defending champion Carlos Alcaraz withdrew on 4 August with a wrist injury and Jannik Sinner on 9 August with a knee injury.
Is Carlos Alcaraz playing the Cincinnati Open?
No. Alcaraz withdrew on 4 August with the wrist injury that has kept him out since April’s Barcelona Open, so he does not defend his 2025 title. His team are prioritising fitness for the US Open, where he is also the defending champion, though his status there is still uncertain.
What is the Cincinnati Open prize money in 2026?
The total prize pool is $9,415,725 for the ATP event and $7,433,076 for the WTA event.
Where can I bet on the Cincinnati Open?
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More Coverage
See the round of 64 results, our round of 32 preview, the Cincinnati Open preview, the prize money breakdown, the list of champions and how to watch in the UK. Full coverage sits on our Cincinnati Open hub, every event we follow is in the tournaments index, and the dates are in the 2026 tennis calendar.