VENUS RISING, LOCALS IN ACTION: 5 THINGS TO WATCH ON FRIDAY IN CINCY

By Richard Osborn

We’re in for another busy day of main-draw action on Friday at the Cincinnati Open, one filled with Grand Slam pedigree in Venus Williams, Marin Cilic, Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin, as well as opening-round appearances by locals Peyton Stearns and J.J Wolf.

1 | LOCAL FAVORITES TAKE THE COURTS

Cincinnatians Peyton Stearns and J.J. Wolf will be among those taking the courts on Friday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Stearns, the 2022 NCAA singles titlist at the University of Texas, opens her Cincinnati Open campaign against British qualifier Harriet Dart on the Champions’ Court. Wolf, another ex-collegian out of Ohio State, is enjoying a much-welcomed resurgence after missing a full year due to a nasty shoulder injury and a subsequent surgery. Last month, he captured an ATP Challenger title in Vancouver, and is now through to his first ATP Tour main draw in more than two years thanks to late-night/early-morning 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win over Sho Shimabukuro, a match that lingered until 1:48 a.m. local time “I fought my butt off,” said Wolf. “I’m definitely not satisfied, but it feels good to have these happy moments after all the (stuff) that me and my team have been through. It’s definitely sweet, but I’m hungry for more.” The 27-year-old will face Aussie James Duckworth on Court 10.

2 | VENUS’ BOUNDLESS JOY

The winner of more than 800 tour-level singles matches, seven of which came in Grand Slam finals, 46-year-old Venus Williams returns to the Cincinnati Open still searching for her first win of 2026. A semifinalist here in 2012, the wildcard Williams will face Colombian qualifier Emiliana Arango in her opener in the Grandstand (not before 1 p.m.). Williams, who last year married Italian actor/model/producer Andrea Preti, says she’s as motivated as ever. “I think I come at it the same way, the same amount of work, same focus, same drive,” she said. “I’m still learning lessons throughout my career and now, too. It’s about finding joy in the process.”

3 | FORMER CHAMPIONS LAUNCH CINCY CAMPAIGNS

Past Cincinnati Open champs Marin Cilic (2016) and Grigor Dimitrov (2018) return to the fray at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Cilic, the 2014 US Open titlist, is as eager as ever at age 37, having been through the wars with injuries. “I still feel my level is there,” he said. “Even if I backtrack to when I was battling through challenges, I still felt my level was close. My progress over this past year has been maybe the best since I was a teenager. And that’s big. It fills me with incredible confidence, also happiness, that it came in this moment, every day feeling that there might be another huge opportunity for me to do something big.” The Croat will face Daniel Merida of Spain on Champions’ Court. Bulgaria’s Dimitrov, long a fan-favorite, continues to battle back from a jarring injury suffered in his Round of 16 matchup with Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon in 2025. He’ll take on Argentine Sebastian Baez on P&G Stadium Court.

4 | SLAM WINNERS STEPHENS, KENIN ON DECK

Venus Williams and Marin Cilic aren’t the only former Grand Slam champions in action on Friday. Wildcard Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open winner, will open against Austrian qualifier Sinja Kraus on P&G Stadium Court (not before 7 p.m.), while fellow wildcard Sofia Kenin, who captured the Australian Open crown in 2020, meets Germany’s Eva Lys on the Grandstand.

5 | NEW COACH, NEW OUTLOOK FOR STEFANOS

Birthday boy Stefanos Tsitsipas (the Greek turned 28 on Wednesday) recently named Thomas Perrin as his new coach following a split with his father, Apostolos. “It’s a chapter that should have started a long time ago,” said the 53rd-ranked Tsitsipas, who slid into the main draw as an alternate following Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal due to injury. “I guess I was too patient with my time and too nice with handling certain things to take so much time to proceed with the change. But that’s how life works. Certain things come at a certain time. I’m very Buddhist in that sort of philosophy.” Tsitsipas, a two-time Grand Slam finalist who reached a career-high No. 3 in 2021, opens the Grandstand festivities at 11 a.m. against Frenchman Valentin Royer.