Top 10 On-Court Moments From the 2025 Cincinnati Open

By Richard Osborn

Join us as we reflect on 10 unforgettable turning points from the 2025 Cincinnati Open.

1 | IGA’S WIMBY-CINCY PUZZLE SOLVED

Iga Swiatek listed the Cincinnati Open side by side with Wimbledon as the toughest titles in tennis due to their speedy grass- and hard-court surfaces. A four-time champion on the slow red clay of Roland Garros, the 24-year-old Pole had long struggled to find her footing at the All England Club and the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Within a matter of weeks, she had both trophies in hand. “It’s kind of proved that the greatest moments will probably come when you least expect them,” said Swiatek, after she finally broke through in the Queen City with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. “It’s nice to check off the list another tournament on the season, one I haven’t won. It’s a great motivation to push forward.”

2 | A RADUCANU-SABALENKA SHOWDOWN TO REMEMBER

In their second head-to-head of the year, top-seed Aryna Sabalenka and Emma Raducanu played what many consider to be the match of the tournament. The tense three-hour-long third-round clash would go the distance, with the defending champion Sabalenka escaping with a hard-earned 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) victory. It’s the kind of challenge the 27-year-old Sabalenka has grown accustomed to since climbing to the top of the PIF WTA Rankings. “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. “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.”

3 | ‘THAT’S WHAT TRUE CHAMPIONS DO’

The 14th edition of the otherworldly ‘Sincaraz’ rivalry, only the third time the Nos. 1 and 2 players in the world were meeting in the Cincinnati Open men’s final, would last just 23 minutes, the top-ranked and top-seeded Jannik Sinner unable to play on due to illness. Only five games into the match, the Italian informed chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani that he could not continue. The final tally, 5-0, ret., gave Alcaraz the eighth ATP Masters 1000 title of his career. The Spaniard showed nothing but class during the trophy presentation: “It’s not the way that I want to win matches, win trophies,” he said. “I can’t say anything you don’t know already, but as I’ve said many, many times, you are truly a champion. I’m pretty sure from this situation that you are going to come back better, even stronger. You always do. That’s what true champions do.”

4 | A TITLE DEFENSE DERAILED

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka saw her title defense cut short in a 6-1, 6-4 quarterfinal by the heavy-hitting Kazakh Elena Rybakina, now realigned with embattled coach Stefano Vukov and once again playing the kind of tennis that led her to the 2022 Wimbledon title. It marked Rybakina’s seventh career win over a No. 1-ranked opponent. “I think it’s always more pressure on someone who is the higher seeded. People are expecting more from them,” she said. “We’ve played so many times. We know each other so well. I was trying to focus on my game and repeat the tactics. Today, just everything worked well.”

5 | AN EARLY SLIP-UP AVERTED

If there were any jitters for eventual titlist Carlos Alcaraz, he disposed of them early on. His only real scare came in his second set of the tournament, when the No. 2 seed appeared to lose his way against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur. It was a flashback to 2024, when a stunning 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 loss to French vet Gael Monfils in the same round left the Spaniard pulverizing his racquet on the court in disgust. “I knew that there would be difficult moments. I had to be ready for that,” said Alcaraz, who pulled off the win in three sets, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. “I’m always thinking positive. I tried to reset my goals after that second set. I remembered the match last year. It can be tricky to forget about it.” Alcaraz went straight to the practice courts after the match to iron out any kinks.

6 | BRONZETTI’S METTLE

Lucia Bronzetti showed some serious mental toughness in her opening-round triumph over China’s Zhu Lin. The Italian saved a match point in the third-set tiebreak to prevail, 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-6(6), in 3 hours and 27 minutes — the third-longest WTA main-draw match of 2025. Bronzetti, 26, would go on to a career-best showing at the Cincinnati Open, upending Top-25 foes Daria Kasatkina and Jelena Ostapenko to reach the Round of 16.

7 | A GAMER/POKÉMON CONNOISSEUR MAKES HIS MARK

If there was one breakout star at the 2025 edition of the Cincinnati Open it was a French qualifier named Terence Atmane. A lowly No. 120 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the 23-year-old had struggled to string together wins all summer on the Challenger Tour. But the confessed Pokémon, Fortnite and Minecraft fanatic found some magic in Ohio, playing his way into the main draw, then taking out a pair of Top-10 opponents in succession in American Taylor Fritz and Dane Holger Rune to set up a dream semifinal matchup with birthday boy and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. In the tunnel before his final-four showdown, his first at the ATP Masters 1000 level, Atmane presented the Italian Sinner with a Pokémon card featuring Pikachu. “I mean, it’s his birthday today, so I had to give him something,” said Atmane, the first qualifier to reach the Cincy semis in a decade.

8 | ADAM’S MARQUEE UPSET

Adam Walton had just three tour-level victories to his name at the start of the year. However, the 26-year-old Australian made the most of his stay in Cincinnati, storming back from a set down against 2019 titlist Daniil Medvedev to prevail, 6-7(0), 6-4, 6-1, the biggest win of his career. A former University of Tennessee standout, Walton has since risen to a career-high No. 75 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

9 | ELLA COOL

German qualifier Ella Seidel notched the first Top-20 victory of her career in dramatic fashion, rallying from a 1-4 third-set deficit to upset No. 8 seed Emma Navarro, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. The Munich-based 20-year-old subsequently saved two match points in the deciding tiebreak to upset 29th seed McCartney Kessler, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(6), to reach the Round of 16. “I didn’t expect that from this week,” said Seidel, an aggressive player who can punish opponents with her forehand. “I’m just proud of the way I fought through these matches.”

10 | RAM TOUGH

The 2025 Cincinnati Open men’s doubles final between Rajeev Ram/Nikola Mektic and Italians Lorenzo Musetti/Lorenzo Sonego would come down to a thrilling super tiebreaker. The US-Croat pairing of Ram/Mektic would pull it out in the end, 4-6, 6-3 (10-5). The victory was especially sweet for the 41-year-old Ram, who grew up a few hours up the road in Carmel, Ind., and remembers coming to the tournament as a wide-eyed 14-year-old for a junior sectional training camp. “These are the crown jewels of our sport, just under the majors,” said Ram, now a two-time champion, having also taken the title in 2022 alongside Great Britain’s Joe Salisbury. “Whenever we can manage to win one, it’s incredible.”