While we are still waiting for the final settlements in Toronto, another big ATP 1000 event begins today - the Masters tournament in Cincinnati. This time, the two biggest names of the season return to action, as Jannik Sinner steps back into competition after winning Wimbledon and looks to repeat last year’s success in Cincy. Carlos Alcaraz is also in the draw, leading the bottom half. The field is stacked, with only Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper missing from the world’s top 20. The first round for unseeded players starts today, while all 32 seeds begin their campaigns in the second round over the weekend. Let’s dive into an analysis of each quarter of the main draw, which was revealed on Tuesday.
Sinner returns to hard court in dominant position
Jannik Sinner will play just his second tournament on hard courts this season, returning to the surface seven months after winning the Australian Open. The world number one skipped the Sunshine Double swing earlier this year due to time away from competition, following last year’s doping-related suspension. Sinner has played only five events this year, including three Grand Slam finals - winning two of them. He showed peak performance in Melbourne on hard courts and was also the winner in Cincinnati last year.
It’s hard to see any serious threat to Sinner in this quarter. The second-highest seed in this section is Lorenzo Musetti, who continues to struggle on hard courts and remains far more effective on clay. Tommy Paul returns to competition after Wimbledon and, as an Australian Open quarterfinalist this year, could be a potential Round of 16 opponent for Sinner. Other seeded matchups in this section include underperforming players this season - for instance, Casper Ruud could face Felix Auger Aliassime, and Musetti may meet Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded just 25th in Cincinnati.
Fritz leads strong second quarter after deep Toronto run
Taylor Fritz is the top seed in the second quarter and by far the most consistent performer on hard courts this year. The American is still competing in Toronto, having reached the semifinals - his second ATP 1000 semi of the season after Miami. The second quarter features several deep runners from Toronto, including Holger Rune and Alex Michelsen, who could face off in the Round of 32. Before that, Michelsen may play one of the most intriguing second-round matches against Corentin Moutet.
Flavio Cobolli is on a collision course with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the early stages, though it remains to be seen whether the Spaniard has recovered from the cramps that troubled him last week in Toronto. Frances Tiafoe, the 10th seed, is also here - defending a significant number of points from his run to last year’s final.
Toronto semifinalists stacked in competitive third quarter
The third quarter contains several big names, including three Toronto semifinalists - 3rd seed Alexander Zverev, 5th seed Ben Shelton, and 14th seed Karen Khachanov. Zverev and Shelton could face high-profile opponents early: Shelton might meet Kei Nishikori, while Zverev could play Gael Monfils, provided both veterans clear their opening rounds.
Daniil Medvedev and Jiri Lehecka are also in this section and may set up an exciting Round of 32 clash - one to watch closely.
Alcaraz eyes title and ranking race in open final quarter
Carlos Alcaraz returns to hard-court competition after a rather disappointing start to the season on this surface - his best result so far being a semifinal in Indian Wells. Despite that, the Spaniard still leads the ATP Race, with a significant 1,500-point gap over Sinner, due to the Italian’s spring absence. In the official ATP rankings, Alcaraz trails by about 3,500 points, but Sinner has nearly half of his total to defend before the end of the season.
The last quarter of the draw lacks many in-form players, aside from 6th seed Alex De Minaur. 9th seed Andrey Rublev and 21st seed Alexei Popyrin could meet in the Round of 32 after both reached the quarterfinals in Toronto.
Follow all round-by-round coverage and previews from the ATP Masters in Cincinnati at TennisRatio.com in the coming days.
