Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open main draw begins on Thursday 13 August, and the defending men’s champion will not be there. Carlos Alcaraz withdrew on 4 August with the wrist injury that has kept him out since April, and Jannik Sinner followed him out on 9 August with a knee injury, leaving Alexander Zverev as top seed and turning the last big hard-court tournament before the US Open into a very different event from the one that was drawn up.
The Format
Both singles draws hold 96 players at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, with the top 32 seeds byed into the second round. Qualifying ran on 11 and 12 August, the draw was made on Tuesday, and the singles finals are on 23 August. It is an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 combined event, and the field carries ten Grand Slam champions, five of them past Cincinnati winners.
Men: Zverev Leads a Field Missing Its Top Two
With Alcaraz and Sinner both absent injured, Alexander Zverev is top seed, Félix Auger-Aliassime second and Novak Djokovic third. Djokovic was beaten in the round of 64 by Thiago Agustín Tirante, in what was his first Cincinnati appearance since winning the title in 2023. Zverev arrives needing a reset after a second-round exit in Montreal as top seed there too.
Watch for whoever comes out of Montreal with miles in their legs. Ben Shelton beat Learner Tien 6-2, 6-3 on the way to winning the National Bank Open, then arrived here with barely a day of rest and lost his opening match to qualifier Jaime Faria. Tien and Brandon Nakashima both came through to the round of 32.
Women: Świątek Defends, and Draws Rybakina
Iga Świątek is the defending champion and is seeded seventh, which has produced the most awkward section of the draw: she is in the same quarter as second seed Elena Rybakina, and the two met in the last eight, where Rybakina retired at 1-4 down with a left heel injury.
The rest breaks down cleanly. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka leads a first quarter also holding Elina Svitolina and Ekaterina Alexandrova, 11th seed Naomi Osaka having withdrawn citing fatigue.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 anchors the third alongside Linda Nosková and Amanda Anisimova.
Belinda Bencic was seeded twelfth having withdrawn from her Toronto quarter-final against Gauff with a hip injury, and did not get beyond the round of 64 here.
How to Watch
In the UK the Cincinnati Open is live on Sky Sports Tennis and NOW across both the men’s and women’s events. Our how to watch guide has the full schedule.
More Cincinnati Open Coverage
- Cincinnati Open hub — the full guide
- Round of 64 results · Round of 32 preview
- Preview · Betting tips · Prize money
- Past champions · 2026 tennis calendar
18+ | Please Gamble Responsibly | BeGambleAware.org