Cincinnati Masters
Twelve seeds went out in the Cincinnati Open round of 64, and the two biggest names among them lost on the same rain-interrupted day. Novak Djokovic was beaten by Thiago Agustín Tirante in his first match since Wimbledon, and Ben Shelton went out to qualifier Jaime Faria days after winning the Masters 1000 title in Montreal. With Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz both absent injured, the men’s draw has lost four of the five biggest names in the sport. Britain’s Arthur Fery is the one home player still standing.
For the full field and outright angles, see our Cincinnati Open preview and outright betting tips. Broadcast details are in the how to watch guide, and the roll of honour is on the past champions page.
Djokovic Falls to Tirante
Novak Djokovic arrived in Ohio having not played a competitive match since Wimbledon, and it showed. Thiago Agustín Tirante, an Argentine ranked outside the top 40 and far more comfortable on clay, lost the opening set 6-2 and then won the next two 6-4, 6-4 in conditions that visibly emptied the 39-year-old. Djokovic dropped to his knees between points late in the second set and afterwards described it as not an enjoyable match for him physically.
It is his earliest exit at this event, and it came at a tournament he has won three times. Tirante’s reward is a round-of-32 tie against fellow qualifier Martín Landaluce.
Shelton Pays for the Montreal Hangover
Ben Shelton, the eighth seed, lost 6-4, 6-4 to Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria in his first match since lifting the National Bank Open trophy. It was Faria’s first win over a top-10 player and it ended a six-match winning streak. The numbers explain it: Shelton created twelve break points and converted one. He led 4-1 in the second set and lost five games in a row.
The two absences were already the story of this event. Jannik Sinner withdrew with a knee problem and Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, is still out with the wrist injury that has kept him off court since April. Losing Djokovic and Shelton as well leaves a Masters 1000 a fortnight before the US Open without four of the sport’s biggest draws.
Seeds Eliminated
| Seed out | Beaten by | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic (3) | Thiago Agustín Tirante | 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Ben Shelton (8) | Jaime Faria | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Casper Ruud (11) | Christopher O’Connell | 7-5, 1-2 ret. |
| Francisco Cerúndolo (20) | Nuno Borges | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Ugo Humbert (24) | Michael Zheng | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Arthur Rinderknech (25) | Juan Manuel Cerúndolo | 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 |
| Ignacio Buse (29) | Adam Walton | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Belinda Bencic (12) | Loïs Boisson | Walkover |
| Elise Mertens (21) | Diane Parry | 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 |
| Barbora Krejčíková (23) | Sara Bejlek | 7-6(5), 6-4 |
| Anastasia Potapova (24) | Sloane Stephens | 6-2, 6-4 |
| Donna Vekić (31) | Xinyu Wang | 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 |
Ruud’s retirement is the one with consequences beyond this fortnight. He took a medical timeout trailing early in the second set and did not come back out, which puts a question mark over his US Open preparation.
Fery Carries the British Hopes
Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter both went out, but Arthur Fery did not. The 32nd seed came through a two-and-a-half-hour win over James Duckworth and is the only British player left in either singles draw.
Fery has had the season of his career. He qualified for the Australian Open and beat Flavio Cobolli on the way in, then reached the Wimbledon semi-finals, beating Cobolli again and Grigor Dimitrov before losing to Alexander Zverev. He is now ranked inside the world’s top 40, and his round-of-32 tie against fifth seed Alex de Minaur is covered in our round of 32 preview.
Norrie took the opening set off Zverev before losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, which extends Zverev’s head-to-head lead to 8-0. Boulter was beaten 6-3, 6-3 by sixth seed Linda Nosková.
The Contenders Who Came Through
Zverev is the highest-ranked man left. Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti all advanced in straight sets, and Félix Auger-Aliassime beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-5 in his first match in 40 days.
| Through | Beat | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Zverev (1) | Cameron Norrie | 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| Félix Auger-Aliassime (2) | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 6-3, 7-5 |
| Daniil Medvedev (4) | Marco Trungelliti | 6-4, 7-5 |
| Frances Tiafoe (17) | Lorenzo Sonego | 6-3, 6-4 |
| Rafael Jódar (12) | Denis Shapovalov | 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 |
| Jiří Lehečka (9) | Matteo Berrettini | 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3 |
| João Fonseca (23) | Botic van de Zandschulp | 6-4, 7-6(5) |
| Aryna Sabalenka (1) | Talia Gibson | 6-2, 7-6(2) |
| Elena Rybakina (2) | Taylor Townsend | 6-3, 6-4 |
| Coco Gauff (4) | Liudmila Samsonova | 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| Mirra Andreeva (5) | Oleksandra Oliynykova | 6-1, 6-0 |
| Iga Świątek (7) | Emiliana Arango | 6-3, 6-0 |
| Elina Svitolina (8) | Tereza Valentova | 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-0 |
| Madison Keys (20) | Daria Snigur | 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
Sabalenka needed six match points to close out Gibson and struck 13 aces in hot, gusty conditions. Gauff and Svitolina both recovered from a set down.
How the Draw Has Opened Up
Zverev is the clear title favourite now and the price reflects it, which is exactly when a favourite stops being a bet. Medvedev has the best Cincinnati record of anyone left, having won the title in 2019. Fritz has the surface and the home crowd. Auger-Aliassime is the form pick after Montreal.
The bottom half is where the value sits. Tirante, Faria, Borges, Walton, Zheng, O’Connell and Juan Manuel Cerúndolo all advanced at a seed’s expense, so whoever emerges from that section will have had a materially easier route than the seeding suggests. Rafael Jódar and João Fonseca are the two young seeds best placed to take advantage.
The women’s draw has held its shape far better. Only five seeds went out, and the top of the draw is intact: Sabalenka, Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Gauff all came through, with defending champion Świątek seeded seventh in Rybakina’s quarter. Krejčíková’s exit is the only one that meaningfully reshapes a section.
What Happens Next
The round of 32 is played across two days, then the draw narrows through the round of 16, the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, with both singles finals on Sunday 23 August. Full dates are on the Cincinnati Open hub and in the 2026 tennis calendar.
Cincinnati is the last significant hard-court event before the US Open, whose main draw begins on Sunday 30 August, so results here shape both the seedings and the form lines going into the final major of the year.
Where the Value Sits Now
Outright markets are the sensible way to play a draw this disrupted, and the each-way angle on players who inherited an easier section is the better shape of bet than backing a shortening favourite. Our full reasoning and current selections are on the Cincinnati Open betting tips page, which we update as the draw narrows.
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More Cincinnati Open Coverage
Full cluster: Cincinnati Open hub · Winners · Finals · Round of 32 preview · Round of 16 · Semi-finals · Quarter-finals · Preview · Betting tips · What to watch · Prize money · Past champions · How to watch
Feature: Arthur Fery: from Wimbledon wild card to British No. 1
Every event we cover is in the tournaments index, and the dates are in the 2026 tennis calendar.