The Western & Southern Open draw ceremony was held on Tuesday afternoon. It is without Novak Djokovic, Jack Draper, Grigor Dimitrov, and others, but Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz lead the way as the top two seeds after they skipped Toronto.
Alcaraz’s bottom half of the bracket is especially difficult, as it is also home to Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, and Karen Khachanov. Zverev, Shelton, and Khachanov currently find themselves in the Toronto semifinals, while De Minaur recently captured the Washington, D.C. title.
Following a first-round bye, Alcaraz will kick off his campaign against either Damir Dzumhur or Mattia Bellucci. The second-ranked Spaniard could face Tallon Griekspoor in the third round, Jakub Mensik or Denis Shapovalov in the last 16, and De Minaur or Rublev in the quarters. Rublev is likely to begin his fortnight against Learner Tien, who just beat him in Washington.
Zverev and Shelton are on a collision course for the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, although Medvedev and Khachanov could have something to say about that. Desperate to end a slump with any kind of decent result while also bidding for his first title since the 2023 Rome Masters, Medvedev could meet Jiri Lehecka in the last 32 and Shelton in round four.
Sinner’s top half of the draw is easier on paper, although a red-hot Fritz could be somewhat of a challenge in the semifinals. Gabriel Diallo is a possible third-round foe for Sinner, while Fritz will probably run into either Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Flavio Cobolli in the fourth round. Both Davidovich Fokina and Cobolli are coming off runner-up performances in Toronto, and Davidovich Fokina upset Fritz in a three-hour thriller on quarterfinal Friday in Washington.
Potential second-round matches to watch in Cincy are Rublev vs. Tien, Davidovich Fokina vs. Joao Fonseca, Zverev vs. Gael Monfils, De Minaur vs. Reilly Opelka, and Alex Michelsen vs. Corentin Moutet.
who ya got?
Poll is correct .Sinner over Alcaraz
agreed