A couple of all-seeded quarterfinal showdowns are on the schedule for Cincinnati on Saturday, including world No. 1 Jannik Sinner facing Andrey Rublev. Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton are also aiming for a semifinal spot.
(1) Jannik Sinner vs. (6) Andrey Rublev
Sinner and Rublev will be squaring off in a second consecutive Masters 1000 quarterfinal when they meet again at the Western & Southern Open on Saturday. They just faced each other in Montreal, where Rublev capitalized on an opponent who was struggling with a hip issue and pulled off a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 upset. Sinner still leads the head-to-head series 5-3, including 2-1 on outdoor hard courts.
If the world No. 1 is struggling a bit physically, Cincinnati has been just what the doctor ordered so far. He won his opening match with relative ease (6-4, 7-5 over Alex Michelsen) and then got a walkover from Jordan Thompson. Rublev ended up reaching the Montreal final (lost to Alexei Popyrin) and has maintained his winning ways this week with straight-set defeats of Zhizhen Zhang and Brandon Nakashima. Fatigue may become a factor for the eighth-ranked Russian, whereas Sinner should be well rested and eager to exact revenge.
Pick: Sinner in 3
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(3) Alexander Zverev vs. (12) Ben Shelton
Shelton is picking up momentum as he prepares for the biggest tournament of his season–his home slam, the U.S. Open, where he is defending semifinal points. The 14th-ranked American reached the second week at Wimbledon (lost to Sinner in the fourth round) and reached the semifinals in Washington, D.C. before falling to eventual champion Alexei Popyrin in the Montreal second round. Shelton now finds himself in the Cincinnati quarters thanks to victories over Reilly Opelka, Tomas Martin Etcheverry (from match point down), and Fabian Marozsan.
Up next for the 12th seed is a first-ever encounter with Zverev. The fourth-ranked German has been solid but unspectacular since succumbing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Roland Garros title match. He lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the Halle semis, to Taylor Fritz in the Wimbledon fourth round, to Arthur Fils in the Hamburg final, to Lorenzo Musetti in the quarters of the Olympics, and to Sebastian Korda in the Montreal quarters. Zverev secured his place in the Cincinnati last eight by beating Karen Khachanov and Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets. The third seed certainly doesn’t need any more matches in his U.S. Open preparation–and he may not get any. Shelton has a good shot at an upset in quick conditions that are pretty much ideal for his serve and forehand.
Pick: Shelton in 3
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Rublev in 3; Shelton in 3.