The ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati has reached the quarterfinal stage with a mix of established stars and surprise packages. Wednesday's action saw world number one Jannik Sinner advance past Adrian Mannarino, while qualifier Terence Atmane produced the shock of the tournament by defeating fourth seed Taylor Fritz. With Carlos Alcaraz cruising past Luca Nardi and Felix Auger-Aliassime overcoming Benjamin Bonzi, the stage is set for intriguing quarterfinal clashes on Thursday and Friday.
Sinner vs. Auger-Aliassime
Jannik Sinner successfully navigated a tricky test against French qualifier Adrian Mannarino, winning 6-4 7-6(4) in a match interrupted by a two-hour and 45-minute rain delay. The defending champion wasn't at his free-flowing best, making just 52% of first serves, but produced moments of brilliance when needed. A spectacular backhand winner from deep in the court at 4-2 in the first set proved crucial. Sinner extended his hard-court winning streak to 24 matches, surpassing Novak Djokovic's 2015 run of 23 wins. The Italian has now won his past 21 matches against French players and is 29-3 for the season.
Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Benjamin Bonzi 6-4 6-3 after a nearly three-hour rain delay to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal since the 2024 Madrid Open final. The Canadian served brilliantly, winning 89% of points on his first serve and capitalizing on all three break points created. Auger-Aliassime dominated the winners count 18-5 and closed out the match in just under 75 minutes once play resumed. The 24-year-old has been solid throughout the week, not dropping a set in his three matches, including a retirement victory over Arthur Rinderknech when leading 7-6(4) 4-2.
Rune vs. Atmane
World number 136 Terence Atmane shocked fourth seed Taylor Fritz 3-6 7-5 6-3 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal. The 23-year-old French qualifier served 13 aces and won 82% of his first-serve points, converting three of six break points against the 2024 US Open finalist. Atmane becomes the first qualifier to reach a Masters 1000 quarterfinal since Max Purcell at Cincinnati 2023 and the lowest-ranked Cincinnati quarterfinalist since that same year. He had already scored upsets over Flavio Cobolli and Joao Fonseca earlier in the week, entering both matches as significant underdog according to the odds. This one is obviously the highest upset according to odds in whole the event - Atmane was rated with an odd 6.51 before the match. It's even more shocking, knowing how ultimate performance was shown by Fritz in previous round against Lorenzo Sonego just two days ago. The American won 72.4% of second serve there, while Atmane disarmed his weapons there while Fritz managed to win just 43.8% of second serve against the Frenchman.
Holger Rune advanced to his 10th Masters quarterfinal after Frances Tiafoe was forced to retire due to a lower back injury. After trailing 0-3 early, Rune won nine of the next 11 games before Tiafoe received medical treatment at 4-5 in the first set. Unable to serve at full pace, the American retired trailing 6-4 3-1. The seventh-seeded Dane had earlier defeated Alex Michelsen 7-6(4) 6-3 in the previous round and will be looking to build on the great introduction into US Open with the back-to-back quarterfinals runs in Toronto and Cincinnati. Rune is obviously the favorite there, although Atmane proved he is capable of any upset this week, especially that the average stats of both players on hard courts on ATP level do not write off the sensational Frenchman.
Alcaraz vs. Rublev
Carlos Alcaraz produced his best performance of the tournament so far, dismantling lucky loser Luca Nardi 6-1 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals. The second seed won 83% of points behind his first serve and broke Nardi twice in the opening set. Despite trailing 2-4 in the second set, Alcaraz won four consecutive games, including a lengthy eight-deuce game at 4-4 where Nardi double-faulted on back-to-back points. This was Alcaraz's 51st win of the season, maintaining his 13-match Masters 1000 winning streak. The Spaniard is seeking his first Cincinnati title after reaching the final in 2023.
Andrey Rublev defeated Francisco Comesana 6-2 6-3 to set up this quarterfinal clash, avenging his first-round Wimbledon loss to the Argentine. The ninth seed had earlier survived a marathon three-hour, 30-minute battle against Alexei Popyrin, winning 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 7-5. This will be Rublev's fifth meeting with Alcaraz, with the Spaniard leading their head-to-head 3-1, including a four-set victory at Wimbledon last month. Their Cincinnati clash will mark their first meeting on outdoor hard courts.
Zverev awaits winner of Shelton vs. Lehecka
Alexander Zverev has already secured his quarterfinal spot after Karen Khachanov retired when trailing 7-5 3-0 due to injury. The German third seed, who won the Cincinnati title in 2021, had to complete his third-round match against Brandon Nakashima earlier on Wednesday, finishing a routine 6-4 6-4 victory that was suspended Tuesday night when he was serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. The match against Khachanov was expected to be a tasty one, just a week after both met in the semifinals in Toronto, where the Russian has surprisingly surpassed the favorized world number 3 and top seed of tournament in Canada. Sadly, despite making the first set competitive, Khachanov was out of the gas in second set, looking really exhausted until he decided to retire after losing three games.
The opponent of Zverev will be determined Thursday when fifth seed Ben Shelton faces 22nd seed Jiri Lehecka. Shelton completed his rain-delayed third-round match against Roberto Bautista Agut on Wednesday, winning 7-6(3) 6-3. The new Toronto champion served 16 aces and hit 12 forehand winners to advance. Currently ranked world number 6, Shelton would rise to a career-high number 5 by reaching the semifinals. He's now 34-16 for the season and looking to build on his Masters 1000 title from Toronto.
Lehecka represents a dangerous floater in the draw, having shown good form on North American hard courts. The Czech will be looking to cause an upset and reach his first Masters 1000 semifinal. The winner of this match will face a well-rested Zverev, who will have had an extra day to prepare for his quarterfinal clash.