10 (Not So) Random Observations On The Sweet 16

cincinnatiopen.com Looks Ahead To Round 4

By Richard Osborn

1 | ARYNA HAS A TARGET ON HER BACK (SHE WOULDN’T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY)

Defending Cincinnati Open champion and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has grown accustomed to the kind of challenges Brit Emma Raducanu threw at her on Monday. “I love to have this target on my back, and every time they bring their best game, that’s how I get better, as well, get stronger,” said Sabalenka, who claimed what has been, thus far, the match of the tournament, 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5). “Sometimes they defeat me. They play incredible tennis, but it only makes me stronger. And I really love to be in my position. As they say, pressure is a privilege, and I really enjoy this privilege.” NEXT UP: Jessica Bouzas Maneiro

2 | JANNIK SINNER IS WORLD NO. 1 FOR A REASON

“You’re never safe,” said rocket-server Gabriel Diallo of Canada after his 6-2, 7-6(6) loss to Jannik Sinner in the third round, a nod to the top seed’s otherworldly skillset. “You can hit a really good shot and feel like you’re in control of the point, then suddenly you see him sliding into an open stance and redirecting with a lot of power very close to the lines. He’s got an ability to play very aggressive with huge margins. You don’t feel like he’s going to miss, and he’s never overhitting. He’s got huge targets, a bunch of jab shots, in boxing terms. It’s challenging.” NEXT UP: Adrian Mannarino

3 | IGA’S GAME IS DOWNRIGHT ‘WICKED’

When she’s not serving up double bagels in Grand Slam finals, Iga Swiatek loves to take in a good film. Her new favorite? “Wicked,” which she caught on her Montreal-to-Cincinnati flight. The Pole says she loved everything about it — especially the music. “The songs were amazing. You can listen to them every day,” she said. “Some are pop, some are less pop, more operatic. The tribute to the original Broadway show, with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, was just amazing. I loved it, and I got addicted to listening to the soundtrack. I loved ‘The Wizard and I’. ‘Popular,’ just because it’s fun, and you can see how they interact and everything. And then ‘One Short Day’ and ‘Defying Gravity.’” NEXT UP: Sorana Cirstea

4 | COCO GAUFF, (LOVE) ISLAND GIRL

While Iga might be smitten with “Wicked,” Coco Gauff is all about “Love Island’ these days. “I’m into ‘Love Island’ group chats,” revealed the No. 2 seed, who advanced to the Round of 16 when Dayana Yastremska withdrew due to illness. “I hosted a ‘Love Island’ watch party. It was a bit of obsession. And I was thinking about doing a game with my whole family, with all my friends, where we had to dress up, couple up. I had it all planned out, but I didn’t have time in between the French and Wimbledon.” Would she ever consider going on the show herself? “If I was single, then yeah. I told my friends, ‘I want to get cast!’ They would never cast me. But I would totally do it if I didn’t play tennis. It just seems so fun to be on vacation in Fiji.” NEXT UP: Lucia Bronzetti

5 | RUNE HAS A TRUSTED ALLY IN ANDRE AGASSI

Holger Rune says he’s still benefitting from a three-day training block with Hall of Famer Andre Agassi in Washington. “We’ve been in touch. He shares his view; I share my view. It’s nice to have someone to speak about tennis with who’s as into it as I am. You get some good feedback.” The Dane says he’s done some brushing up on Agassi’s achievements, which include eight major singles titles and an Olympic gold medal. “I’ve gotten much more dialed in the last few years. It wasn’t really the time when I grew up that he was playing, but I watch some clips of him to get a sense of how he played. I know about everything he’s won, his titles. I read a little bit of his book when I was young. It’s great to have someone that successful to share his point of view on my game because it has another power in it.” NEXT UP: Frances Tiafoe

6 | ’24 RUNNER-UP BIG FOE’S HAPPY TO BE BACK IN CINCY

Returning to the site where last summer he played the best tennis of his career, Frances Tiafoe is matched up against Holger Rune at the Lindner Family Tennis Center for the second straight year. The 10th seed, who came up short against Jannik Sinner in the 2024 title match, says he’s again on his game. “For sure. It feels good being back here, no question,” he said after a 6-4, 6-4 dismissal of Frenchman Ugo Humbert in Round 3. “It feels good playing in the States. These last few weeks, I’ve been beating guys I’m supposed to beat, on paper, and now I’m ready to go deep and get some big wins for the US Open. That’s important going into the biggest tournament in the world.” NEXT UP: Holger Rune

7 | MEET ELLA SEIDEL

If she keeps playing like this, Ella Seidel won’t be relegated to qualifying draws too much longer. The 20-year-old baseliner who trains in Munich is already five matches into her stay here at the reimagined Lindner Family Tennis Center, where she has stunned a pair of seeds in Emma Navarro and McCartney Kessler to move into the Round of 16. “I like to play offensive,” said Seidel. “I’m really aggressive through my forehand, but in tough situations I can keep the ball in play and make it as tough as possible for my opponents.” Seidel didn’t expect to go this far in Cincy. In fact, she’s playing here without her full-time coach, instead borrowing a mentor from the German doubles tandem of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz. NEXT UP: Varvara Gracheva

8 | CARLOS MATCHES NOVAK WITH WIN NO. 50

2023 Cincinnati Open finalist Carlos Alcaraz made history on Tuesday on P&G Center Court. With a 6-4, 6-4 decision over Serb Hamad Medjedovic, the world No. 2 notched his tour-best 50th win of the season (50-6). Alcaraz became the first man to post 50-plus tour-level victories four years in a row since Novak Djokovic in 2013-16. “It’s something that I’ve been working on, the consistency,” said Alcaraz. “It’s great to join Djokovic.” A year after flaming out in the opening round against French veteran Gael Monfils, the Spaniard appears to be finding his form on the hard courts of the Lindner Family Tennis Center. NEXT UP: Luca Nardi

9 | JASMINE LOVES THE BIG STAGE

As we’ve witnessed over the past two years, the sports’ biggest events — the WTA 1000s, the Grand Slams — seem to bring out the best it Jasmine Paolini. The late-bloomer, 29, enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2024, beginning with her first 1000-level title in Dubai. Paolini would reach back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, qualify for the year-end WTA Finals in both singles and doubles, and cap the year at a career-high No. 4. This year, after a run to the Miami Open semis, she became the first Italian woman in 40 years to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Into the Round of 16 in Cincinnati for the third straight year, Paolini seems to summon her best when it matters most. “A few years ago, it was the opposite,” she said. “But I’m trying. I understood this year that it’s important to take some breaks sometimes, to practice and to rest and to make the right choices with the calendar, to figure in the important events, to adjust with the surface. We’re trying to do our best with our team to be ready for the big events and Slams.” NEXT UP: Barbora Krejcikova

10 | FAA HAS HIS EYES ON THE PRIZE

Nobody came into the 2025 campaign with more purpose than Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, who after falling outside the Top 30 in the PIF ATP Rankings set out to prove he was still very much the all-court talent that rose to No. 6 in 2022. FAA was the first ATPer to two titles on the year after claiming Adelaide and Montpellier, but has since cooled off. Into the Round of 16 for the second year in a row, he is looking forward to his upcoming matchup with Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi. “The guy can be dangerous on any given day,” said the 28th-ranked Auger-Aliassime. “He hasn’t been up the rankings that much, but I’m wary of him on any day.” NEXT UP: Benjamin Bonzi