Cincinnati R2 previews and predictions: Sinner vs. Kecmanovic, Shapovalov vs. Paul

Jannik Sinner will try to build on his marathon win on Tuesday when he faces Miomir Kecmanovic in the Cincinnati second round. Denis Shapovalov and Tommy Paul, both unseeded, are also aiming for a place in the last 16.

Miomir Kecmanovic vs. (10) Jannik Sinner

Both Sinner and Kecmanovic are coming off impressive victories as they head into a second-round showdown at the Western & Southern Open on Wednesday afternoon. Sinner celebrated his 21st birthday by beating Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-7(9), 6-4, 7-6(6) after three hours and 15 minutes. Kecmanovic ran into Montreal champion Pablo Carreno Busta and prevailed 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) after two hours and 55 minutes.

The head-to-head series stands at 2-0 in favor of Sinner, who won in four sets at the 2019 NextGen ATP Finals before getting the job done 7-6(10), 6-4 at an ATP 250 event in Melbourne early last year. Both guys are in the midst of their best seasons on tour, but Sinner is simply on a different level right now. The Italian is 37-10 this year and up to No. 12 in the world. In a battle between two fatigued players, Sinner has much more firepower and can end points in quicker fashion.

Pick: Sinner in 2

Tommy Paul vs. Denis Shapovalov

Shapovalov and Paul will also be squaring off for the third time in their careers on Wednesday. Both of their previous encounters have gone Paul’s way; 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the 2021 Stockholm final and by the exact same scoreline earlier this summer on the grass courts of Queen’s Club.

A massive edge in current form goes to Paul. In fact, it’s a surprise to even see Shapovalov in the second round. The 21st-ranked Canadian had been 1-9 in his last 10 matches before defeating Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(4), 6-3 on Monday. Paul–a quarterfinalist in Atlanta and Montreal after reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon–improved to 29-20 this season with a 6-3, 6-2 rout of Jenson Brooksby on Tuesday. All signs point toward the 31st-ranked American staying perfect in this matchup.

Pick: Paul in 2