CRUNCH TIME: CINCINNATI OPEN MEN’S SF PREVIEW

By Richard Osborn

[1] JANNIK SINNER (ITA) VS. [3] ALEXANDER ZVEREV (GER)

NOT BEFORE 3 P.M. | CENTER COURT

Despite his breakthrough at the Australian Open, despite his rise to No. 1, the first Italian to top the charts in singles since the computerized rankings were introduced in 1973, Jannik Sinner came into the Cincinnati Open with a whole lot of question marks.

Sinner won his first 16 matches of 2024, and rode that Melbourne momentum to three more titles in Rotterdam, Miami and Halle. But hip woes would limit his effectiveness at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. (Even as recently as last week in Montreal, he appeared compromised, falling to Andrey Rublev, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, in the quarterfinals.) Tonsillitis would cost him a shot at Olympic gold. But the birthday boy (he turned 23 on Friday) has indeed been on his game this week. After avenging that loss to Rublev in the quarters, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, the top-seeded Sinner is into the first Cincy semifinal of his career.  

“Semis again in a Masters event, it’s a great result,” said Sinner, who in four previous tournament appearances had never advanced beyond the Round of 16. “But I’ve got a great test tomorrow. It’s going to be very difficult.”

That test comes in the form of one of the sport’s most consistent performers, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who leads the ATP Tour in wins this season with 52. He will be contesting his 19th ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.

Zverev, who with a title run could overtake Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in the rankings to match his career-high No. 2, leads the head-to-head, 4-1, having claimed their most recent encounter in five sets in the Round of 16 at the 2023 US Open, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

“It was probably the tournament that I hated most,” confided the 27-year-old Zverev, who went 0-6 in Cincinnati before winning the title in 2021, and has now reached four straight semifinals. “Now it’s a tournament that I really love. I found my rhythm and I found my conditions here. It’s going well. Hopefully, I can win it.”

Looking ahead at his matchup with Sinner, Zverev said, “He’s having an amazing year. A Grand Slam champion at the beginning of the year. I feel like I’m playing well, as well. It’s going to be a high-level match.”   

FRANCES TIAFOE (USA) VS. [15] HOLGER RUNE (DEN)
NOT BEFORE 6 P.M. | CENTER COURT

A Top-10 mainstay since 2022, Holger Rune has been in a rankings-stall since the spring, and is still seeking his first title of the year. A deep run at the Cincinnati Open might be the ideal spark for the 21-year-old from Denmark heading into the US Open.

“You can fool yourself a little bit with, ‘Yeah, I’m going to feel confident for the US Open,’ but without those wins and the confidence these matches are giving me, finding solutions, finding ways to play better, that’s the most important thing,” he said.

Like Rune, Frances Tiafoe has experienced a prodigious ranking drop: He slid from No. 16 in January to No. 30 this summer. But the ever-popular Big Foe booked the final four when Pole Hubert Hurkacz retired from their quarterfinal with an ankle injury after dropping the first set, 6-3. It wasn’t just any victory for Tiafoe: It was the 200th of his career.

“That’s big. I had no idea, but that’s a big milestone,” said Tiafoe, 26, the first American man to reach Cincinnati semis since John Isner in 2017. “Hopefully, it won’t take too long to get my next 200.”

Both players carry plenty of motivation into this first-time encounter. It might just come down to who can handle the conditions best. Center Court is playing fast this year, not that that bothers Rune.

“I think it’s good because most of the tournaments are pretty slow surfaces,” said the Dane, a perfect 4-0 in ATP Masters 1000 semifinals. “Even the grass courts, I would say, are slower than this. But it’s good with a mix. Some tournaments are fast, some are slow. Tennis is also about playing in different conditions every week — different weather, outdoor, indoor, clay, hard courts, grass courts. It’s nice. Cincinnati is known for one thing, Montreal is known for another. The best players in the world are the best at adapting.”