Cincinnati R3 previews and predictions: Auger-Aliassime vs. Sinner, Isner vs. Korda

An all-seeded showdown between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner headlines a jam-packed schedule in Cincinnati on Thursday. Third-round competition also includes an all-American match between unseeded players John Isner and Sebastian Korda.

(7) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (10) Jannik Sinner

A second-set retirement from Miomir Kecmanovic is just what the doctor ordered for Sinner on Wednesday at the Western & Southern Open. After all, one day earlier the Italian had required three hours and 14 minutes to celebrate his 21st birthday by outlasting Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-7(9), 6-4, 7-6(6). A one-hour and 15-minute effort against Kecmanovic (which had Sinner leading 7-5, 3-1) will have his gas tanked restored for Thursday. The 20-year-old is full of confidence, too, as his 2022 match record stands at an amazing 38-10.

Up next for Sinner in the third round is Auger-Aliassime, who won their only previous meeting 6-1, 6-2 on the red clay of Madrid this spring. As that result suggests, the ninth-ranked Canadian can look like one of the best players on tour on any given day–as he did during a 6-3, 6-2 rout of Alex de Minaur in the Cincinnati second round. However, inconsistency remains a problem. Sinner is the more reliable player and in relatively fast conditions his big-hitting game should be able to throw off Auger-Aliassime’s timing to the extent that the world No. 12 can score another hard-fought victory at this Masters 1000 event.

Pick: Sinner in 3

(WC) Sebastian Korda vs. John Isner

Ranked No. 50 and No. 52 in the world, respectively, Isner and Korda are at a crossroads. At 37 years old and having been a staple of the top 20 for more than a decade, Isner is understandably on the way down. Fifteen years his fellow American’s junior, Korda is firmly on the rise.

That’s not to say Thursday’s matchup will be a one-sided affair–it almost never is when Isner is involved. The former University of Georgia star remains extremely dangerous because of his huge serve, and it has worked for him this week in victories over Benjamin Bonzi and Hubert Hurkacz. The bad news for Isner is that he needed three sets in each match and won’t be fresh, plus he is already 0-2 in the head-to-head series with Korda. Look for Korda to build on impressive defeats of Karen Khachanov and Frances Tiafoe by booking a spot in the quarterfinals.

Pick: Korda in 3